Rebecca Smith elected council president; Rashad Bates chosen vice president and sworn in

Rebecca Smith was elected president of the Norristown Municipal Council and Rashad Bates was elected vice president during the council’s Jan. 6, 2025 reorganization meeting; both were sworn into their roles the same evening.

The council opened nominations for vice president and received a motion nominating Rashad Bates. After a roll call vote, the council president announced, “The ayes have it,” and Bates took the oath administered by Judge Jones. Later the council nominated and elected Rebecca Smith as council president and she also repeated the oath of office in the chamber.

Smith, speaking after her oath, thanked her parents and council colleagues and said she looked forward to working with the municipal administrator and staff. “To the residents of Norristown, I want you to know that you are the heart of what we do,” Smith said, pledging to “listen, engage, and work on your behalf.”

The swearing-in included the standard pledge to uphold the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions and the Home Rule Charter of the Municipality of Norristown. The council moved from the reorganization portion of the agenda to the regular municipal meeting later that evening.

The meeting record shows the council conducted the required roll-call voting on both nominations and completed the oaths on the same night. No further formal challenges to the election outcomes were recorded in the transcript.

The new officers will serve in their leadership roles for council business throughout 2025; the council did not set a separate implementation date beyond the oaths taken on Jan. 6.