NORTH SMITHFIELD — The guard changed in town government Monday night, as Paulette D. Hamilton was sworn in as the new town administrator and David Lovett was elected the new president of the Town Council.

Both of them joined reelected School Committee Chairman Robert Lafleur in calling for more communication and cooperation between the various parts of government in what is expected to be a tough time financially for the next year or two.

Monday night’s session was largely ceremonial, with the swearing-in of the officials who were elected last month, followed by brief organization meetings of the council and School Committee. Besides electing Lovett president of the new council — previous council president Linda Thibault had decided not to run for reelection — the council did two other pieces of business.

On identical 3-2 votes, the new council voted to hire Richard Nadeau as town solicitor and William G. Savastano as assistant town solicitor, replacing Mark Hadden and Robert Rossi. Nadeau has served as assistant solicitor in the past as well as vice chair of a charter revision committee.

Lovett and newcomers Steven Biron and Lucien Benoit voted to hire Nadeau and Savastano while members Paul Zwolenski and Paul M. Leclerc voted for Patrick Dougherty for solicitor and Rossi for assistant solicitor.

“The campaign is over and the much harder ob of governing begins,” Hamilton told the audience in high school auditorium. She promised a “transparent” administration, one that will communicate what it is doing through then media, email and website alerts and town hall meetings.

“We may not always agree,” Hamilton said, “but you will always know the reasons for our decisions.”

As Hamilton said “I do” to the oath of office at about 7:45 Monday night, it marked the first moments of her term as town administrator, and the first time in 20 years that Robert B. Lowe would not be holding public office.

Besides seven years on the School Committee, Lowe served 18 years in the House of Representatives, from 1986 to 2004, and then four as town administrator, losing his bid for a third term to Hamilton last month.

Looking back on that government career, Lowe said his fondest achievements were some of the smallest ones.

“The proudest thing I have is the number of people I got to help along the line,” he said in an interview. “Just knowing I was there for those who needed it.”

He said he recalled one time when a man was in the Adult Correctional Institutions and his mother was dying. Her last wish was to see her son one last time. Lowe said he was able to arrange a furlough for the son to visit his mother at her sick bed. She died hours after the visit, he said.

Between his legislative career and his stint as town administration, Lowe said he found town administrator more fulfilling.

“It was the best job I ever had,” Lowe said. “That’s what’s so sad about losing it.”

Another town leader whose tenure ended Monday night was Thibault. She said a look back at the past four years of Lowe’s administration and her council presidency showed a level of action that will be hard to match.

The town was able to finally close a deal with the city of Woonsocket to connect the local water system to that city’s system, solving a water shortage in town that had led to fire safety concerns and stymied economic development, especially in the Slatersville area.

The town also won approval for a $21 million sewer bond to fill in gaps in the town’s wastewater treatment system and an open space bond to buy up developable land for preservation..

And after years of talking about reinventing the way the town regulates commercial development, Lowe’s administration set up the Branch Village Task Force and its subsequent redevelopment agency, which is charged with developing new zoning rules to encourage a village-style small business environment in the area near Route 146 and St. Paul St.

“Bob Lowe needs to get a huge amount of credit for that,” she said.

The council also passed new ordinances that set noise standards and regulated outdoor stoves, she said.

“I leave with no regrets,” she said in an interview. “We left the town in a better place.”

jhill@projo.com