The City of Cleveland invites the public to a swearing-in ceremony for city officials on Monday at 3 p.m. in the Museum Center at 5ive Points at 200 Inman St. East.
Mayor Tom Rowland, At-Large Councilman Richard Banks, District 1 Councilman Charlie McKenzie and District 2 Councilman Bill Estes will be administered the oath of office before voting on a motion to reappoint John Kimball as city attorney. The oath of office will then be administered to Municipal Court Judge Barrett Painter.
Election Commission Chairman Travis D. Henry and members Theba S. Hamilton, Oscar S. Kelley, Duane J. Gilbert and Dana C. Burgner will present Certificates of Election to each council member as they are sworn in.
Circuit Court Judge Larry Puckett will administer the oath to Estes, Circuit Court Judge Mike Sharp will administer the oath to Banks and Mayor Rowland, and Circuit Court Judge Andrew Fryberg will administer the oath to McKenzie.
After the mayor and councilmen are sworn in, Mayor Rowland will administer the oath to Municipal Court Judge Barrett Painter.
The ceremony will open with a roll call of City Council members, the Pledge of Allegiance, invocation by Heritage Fellowship Church of God Pastor Steve Gilbert and recognition of special guests and elected officials.
The ceremony will close with the benediction and charge to officials by North Cleveland Church of God Senior Pastor Mitch Maloney. The public is invited to join council members for refreshments after the ceremony.
Mayor Rowland, first elected in September 1991, is the second-longest serving mayor in Tennessee. Only Alamo Mayor Tommy Green has more years in office than Cleveland’s mayor.
Mayor Bill Schultz appointed Mr. Rowland, who owned WCLE Radio, to fill the remaining six months of the unexpired term of Fire, and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kenneth Tinsley.
“Mayor Schultz came to me not too long before the qualifying deadline and asked if I would run for mayor,” Mr. Rowland said Thursday. He had not thought about running for office before then but, “I told him I’d think about it and let him know — and I ran.”
Mayor Rowland’s first term ran from 1991 to 1996. The city changed from commission to council-manager form of government in 1993. He was re-elected in 1996 for two years to stagger the council member’s terms. Since then, he has won elections in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. He ran unopposed twice, including this year.
“I went from a five-year term to a two-year term from 1996 to 1998, then four-year terms after that,” he said.
The mayor’s goals in the next four years are to see the state veterans home and veterans park come to fruition.
“I want to see continued improvement in the quality of life for our citizens of Cleveland, more jobs and of course, the veterans home,” he said.
Mr. McKenzie was elected in 2010, Mr. Estes in 2006 and Mr. Banks in 2003.
The other council members who were not up for reelection this year are: Vice Mayor Avery Johnson, District 3, has served since 1993; Distict 4 Councilman David May, 1996; at-large Councilman George Poe, 2000 and Fifth District Councilman Dale Hughes was first elected in 2012.