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Columbia council members and city attorney sworn in at Jan. 7 special meeting
Summary
The City of Columbia held a special called meeting Jan. 7 to administer oaths to newly elected and re-elected council members and to swear in the city attorney; the council then adjourned and reconvened for a 5:30 study session.
Mayor Charles Mulder called the City of Columbia special called meeting to order at 5 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, and the council administered oaths of office to newly elected and returning members and to the city attorney.
The council administered the oath to Davina Hardison (First Ward), Kenny Marshall (Fourth Ward), Charlie Huffman (Second Ward) and Cheryl E. Sechrist (Third Ward). Jake Hubbell was sworn in as city attorney. The council also noted that Richard Matthews has accepted the position of city judge and will be sworn in at the first city court over which he presides, which the council said is scheduled for the fourth Thursday of the month.
The oaths followed notice of the special called meeting filed pursuant to the city charter and signed by City Manager Anthony Massey on Dec. 12, 2024. The meeting included short procedural votes — including a motion to spread the special called meeting on the minutes and motions to adjourn and to resume for a 5:30 p.m. study session — all of which were approved by roll call votes recorded on the transcript.
Why it matters: Swearing-in ceremonies complete the formal transition after the Nov. 5, 2024, municipal election and place newly elected members in their seats; the transcript records that Hardison and Marshall were reelected and that Huffman and Sechrist were elected to their respective seats. The council noted that the newly seated council members’ terms extend through the first council meeting of January 2029.
Mayor Charles Mulder presided over the ceremony and asked Jethad Jablonski, finance director and city recorder, to call the roll before and after the administration of oaths. Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Cummins led an invocation before the oath administration. City Manager Anthony Massey was recorded as the signatory on the special meeting notice.
The oaths administered to council members and the city attorney used the sworn wording required by the city charter and ordinances; attendees rose to the flag for the pledge of allegiance, after which each incoming or returning official repeated the oath phrase-by-phrase as administered from the dais.
Formal actions taken during the session were procedural: a motion to spread the special called meeting on the minutes and votes to adjourn and to resume the meeting for a study session at 5:30 p.m. The council then recessed and reconvened with the newly sworn members seated. No policy decisions or ordinance adoptions were made at this session.
The council also acknowledged guests in the chamber, including members of the mayor’s youth council, former Vice Mayor Krista Martin and several judges and county commissioners present for the ceremony. The administration of the city judge oath to Richard Matthews will occur at his first court session in the role.
