City Council will hold its inaugural meeting at noon on Monday, July 2. The meeting is held every two years for the public swearing-in of winners of the City Council election, selection of a mayor and vice mayor, and issuance of seat assignments for each Council meeting.
The meeting will take place in the Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building.
James Buckner, Alonzo Jones and Gary Miller won re-election to City Council in May. They will be joined in taking the oath of office by Adam Tomer, who won election in May for his third term on Council. Tomer served on City Council from 2006 to 2014, but did not seek re-election in 2014.
Council members serve four-year, staggered terms. The other members of Council are L. G. “Larry” Campbell Jr., Sherman Saunders, Fred Shanks, Lee Vogler and Madison Whittle.
The City Council selects the mayor and vice mayor from among its members to serve a two-year term. Currently, John Gilstrap is mayor, a position he has held since July 1, 2016. He did not seek re-election to another term on City Council. Jones is the current vice mayor, and he has served in that position for the past two years.
Following the selection of mayor and vice mayor, seating positions for every council member except the mayor will be determined by a random drawing. Council members must maintain the positions assigned for each meeting until the next inaugural meeting in two years.
