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New Killeen council members sworn in; mayor pro tem election ends in 5-2 vote after procedural confusion
Summary
At the May 13 meeting the council administered oaths of office to newly elected members and read standards of conduct. A contested selection for mayor pro tem resulted in a 5-2 vote to appoint Council member Adams after confusion over nominations and a member's mistaken vote.
The Killeen City Council administered oaths of office to newly elected members and adopted procedural formalities at its May 13 special meeting, then held a contested election for mayor pro tem that concluded with a 5-2 vote.
A judge administered the oath of office to the newly elected council members after the council certified election results earlier on the agenda. The oath formality included the required statements recited by the appointees. "You are all now official," the judge said after the oath was completed.
The council then took up a memorandum resolution to elect a mayor pro tem. Councilwoman Cobb nominated Councilman Solomon; Councilman Adams nominated himself. After members cast votes, the tally was announced as 5-2 in favor of Council member Adams. The meeting record shows procedural confusion during the vote: at one point the clerk and the city attorney discussed whether a member had intended to vote for a different nominee but noted that the recorded vote stood. The city attorney stated, "We have a vote already on that. Alright," indicating the result could not be changed at that moment.
Earlier in the meeting the council read a standards of conduct document outlining expectations for honor, equality, avoidance of conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and civility. The standards were presented as a preamble and set of principles for mayor and council members; no separate vote to adopt the standards was recorded during the reading.
The oath administration and the mayor pro tem selection were procedural steps completed after the council's certification of election results and the recognition of an outgoing member.
Background: The council's standards of conduct language emphasizes ethical obligations and avoidance of improper influence; the mayor pro tem election required nominations, a second, and an affirmative majority. The transcript records a brief dispute about how individual members voted before the final tally was confirmed.
