Council Member Will Sowell was chosen to serve as mayor pro tem, and Council Member Shona Huffman will take over the deputy mayor pro tem position.
“This is something we elect every single year following the election,” Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “This year our election got moved to November, but we did decide to go ahead and do these as if that election had taken place on its normal cycle.”
Council voted in March to move the municipal election from May to November because of voting safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Cheney said the mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem positions carry a great deal of importance for the city.
“The mayor pro tem fills in for the mayor at many events and has other roles and responsibilities should I be unavailable, as well as helping with this meeting,” Cheney said, adding the deputy mayor pro tem also helps manage and run council meetings. “There’s a lot of time that goes into both of those positions, so that’s why a lot of times these will shift responsibilities from year to year.”
The mayor also thanked council members John Keating and Bill Woodard for their service as mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem, respectively, over the last year. Sowell’s and Huffman’s new roles were both approved unanimously by council.
