Wilkes-Barre City Council elects Tony Brooks chair, Jessica McClay vice chair; adopts 2025 holiday schedule and meeting dates

Wilkes-Barre — At its Jan. 6, 2025 reorganizational meeting, the Wilkes-Barre City Council elected Tony Brooks as council chair and Jessica McClay as vice chair, administered oaths of office and unanimously approved two resolutions establishing the city’s 2025 holiday schedule and the council’s 2025 meeting dates.

The reorganization session opened with roll call and the swearing-in of officers. After nominations, the council voted in favor of Tony Brooks to serve as chair for 2025 and Jessica McClay to serve as vice chair. Both officers then took the oath of office as required by the council’s governing procedures and the city charter.

The meeting also included two formal resolutions. The council voted to adopt a resolution establishing the 2025 municipal holiday schedule and a separate resolution setting the council’s 2025 meeting dates; the motions passed unanimously on roll-call votes. The transcript and roll call recorded affirmative votes from Councilman Barrett, Councilman Belishko, Councilman Merren, Councilwoman McClay and Councilman Brooks for those measures. The meeting record did not include the holiday schedule dates or the list of specific meeting dates in the audible transcript excerpt provided.

Members used the remainder of the session for brief remarks. Several council members praised outgoing leaders for their service and welcomed the new chair and vice chair. Mayor George Brown, Controller Tony Thomas and City Administrator Charlie McCormick were present and offered congratulations; council staff including Assistant City Attorney Maureen Collins, City Attorney Tim Henry, Assistant City Clerk Tracy Smith and Administrative Assistant Lisa Sanfilippo were listed as in attendance.

The council adjourned following a motion for adjournment and a brief photo opportunity.