New city Council Persons sworn in
After a hard-fought and often nasty campaign, two new Council people were sworn into office Wednesday night. Dawn Pardo replaced Jim Jackson as Singer Island's District 4 representative on the Council. Joining her was Judy Davis, newly elected from District 2, who replaces her opponent, Norma Dumcombe.
Following the swearing in, the council elected its Chair and Chair Pro Tem. Council Person Cedric Thomas, elected last year, was nominated to be Chair by Singer Island's Dawn Pardo. Also nominated was Lynn Hubbard, the current Vice Chair, by current Chair Shelby Lowe. Thomas was elected by a vote of 3 to 2, with the third vote coming from Council Person Judy Davis.
Dawn Pardo was then nominated by Judy Davis for Chair Pro Tem while current chair Shelby Lowe was nominated by current Vice Chair Lynn Hubbard. The vote, again, was 3 to 2 and brought about a few nasty comments from the rear of the room. These were more then answered by Mayor Thomas Masters who welcomed the new Council members and expressed his optimism about their willingness to bring about change.
The evening represented a dramatic shift in the council. While it remains to be seen, observers from Singer Island shared the Mayor's optimism that this new council will put aside old grievances between the mainland and the island and work together for the benefit of the whole city.
