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New Rockford mayor and aldermen sworn in; council confirms municipal department directors after failed layover motion
Summary
Thomas P. McNamara was sworn in as mayor and several aldermen were sworn in May 5. The council voted on appointments of municipal department directors after a motion to lay the item over failed 3–8; the appointments were confirmed 10–1.
Thomas P. McNamara took the oath of office and was sworn in as mayor May 5, and the council completed oaths for reelected and newly elected aldermen in a ceremony that also included a contested vote on department director appointments.
Mayor McNamara and newly sworn aldermen — including Dawn Granath (ninth ward), Jaime Salgado (eleventh ward) and Tamir Bell (thirteenth ward), among others — repeated the statutory oath administered by the legal director. Several aldermen offered brief remarks after taking their oaths.
On appointments, the council considered the mayor’s slate of municipal department directors: Carrie Haggerty (director of finance), Charice Hunter (director of human resources), Aquanet Parham (director of health and human services), Todd Hughes (director of information technology), Angela Hammer (director of the legal department), Scott Sanders (director of public works), and Sarah Lise (director of community and economic development). Alderman Tarina moved to lay the appointments over so new council members could caucus; that motion received a second but failed on a roll call 3–8. The subsequent roll call on the appointments passed 10–1; the transcript records Alderman Tarina voting “No.”
Why it matters: Oaths and confirmations establish the governing leadership and the administrative heads who will execute policy decisions. The failed motion to lay the item over and the final confirmation vote show the new council proceeded to confirm the mayor’s appointments without further delay.
Details: The transcript lists the appointees by name during the meeting and shows the council’s roll-call votes. Several outgoing aldermen were recognized earlier in the meeting for their service. The newly appointed directors will assume their departmental duties per city hiring and appointment procedures.
