After months of tension surrounding the presidency of the United States, Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president Wednesday.

Biden and new Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in during a ceremony at a tightly secured U.S. Capitol exactly two weeks after the Capitol Building was stormed by violent protesters. Security around the inauguration ceremony was increased in response to threats of another attack by domestic terrorists.

After witnessing the ceremony, which was completed without incident, Marshall County Democrats chairperson Jeanine Grady said she felt optimistic.

“I’m very hopeful,” she said. “I thought the ceremony was stunning. I did have moments of anxiousness, anxiety.”

One of the standout moments from the event in Grady’s opinion was the presentation of a poem “The Hill We Climb” by activist and poet Amanda Gorman.

“I just thought that encapsulated it perfectly,” she said.

Grady was pleased to see the ceremony completed smoothly but expects more time to pass before tempers and divisiveness subside.

“The fact that Washington D.C. is a military camp right now is certainly not normal. It will be interesting to see how long that continues,” she said. “And what happens when the security is loosened? I just continue to hope for it as we get further away from what happened two weeks ago cooler heads will continue to prevail.”

Iowa Democratic Party Chairperson Mark Smith said he commends the National Guard members, police and security who were on duty for the inauguration ceremony.

“It’s a great event. I thought that the president had a message of hope and unity and the steps we need to be taking to move forward from here,” he said.

Smith and Grady shared their hopes for Biden’s first term as president.

“President Biden is very pragmatic. See him coming forth with some recommendations for legislation that will move this country forward in a very progressive way,” Smith said.

“I really am going to take a wait and see attitude to a lot of what transpires,” Grady said. “I really do hope that there will be more bipartisanship. The legislature needs to try to make the best legislation for the country rather than their side of the country. We’re an awfully big place. What’s good for one part isn’t necessarily good for another but we have to have some sense of a common good, common ground.”

Two issues Grady would like to see addressed soon are the health-care system and how to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I choose to be hopeful about this. About the coming years,” she said. “I tried to be hopeful during the Trump administration. It was difficult. So all we can do is keep choosing hope.”

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Contact Joe Fisher at 641-753-6611 or jfisher@timesrepublican.com