By MATT PIKE
The newly elected St. Joseph City Council was sworn in today at St. Joseph City Hall as new Mayor Larry Miller and all eight city councilmembers took the Oath of Office.
Miller is serving his first term as Mayor after winning election on April 7th over John Josendale. Miller says ahead of being sworn in, he was full of nerves arriving to City Hall..
"When I got here people are so nice, it made my day, made my day," Miller tells reporters following the swearing in ceremony. "And I can't wait to serve the people, I just can't wait."
As he takes up his new seat, Miller knows there are some big shoes to fill with the outgoing mayor, as well as outgoing councilmembers. Miller says he hopes he can pick up where the previous council left off.
"For the people, that's the most important part right now," Miller explains. "They're the ones who elected me, they're the ones I'm going to serve."
Miller says the first thing he hopes to work on during his term, is continued work on the streets of St. Joseph.
“They’re the most important part right now and that’s what the people want right now,” Miller says.
Along with Miller, all eight city councilmembers took the oath of office as well. The new city council consists of three new councilmembers, At Large Gary Wilkinson, At Large Collin Clibon, and District IV Russell Moore, along with incumbents from the previous council who were elected, At Large Randy Schultz, At Large Marty Novak, District III Andrew Trout, District II Jason Eslinger, and District I Madison Davis.
District council members that were sworn in will be serving for only two years and will be up for election again in 2028, after which their terms will revert to four-year increments. The At-Large council members sworn are serving four-year terms and will be up for election again in 2030.
To start the ceremony, Municipal Court Judge Laura Chavez took the oath of office, administered by the Honorable Kate Schaefer, presiding judge of the 5th Judicial Circuit of Missouri, and City Clerk Kaycee Garton. This is Judge Chavez’s first elected term after being appointed municipal court judge last April, following the death of Ted Elo.
Following the swearing in ceremony, the council held its first meeting, electing Wilkinson as deputy mayor. The council also approved an ordinance thanking all those officials leaving the board for their service to the city.
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