St. Helens officials sworn in; Jessica Chilton elected council president

Judge Clark administered oaths at a special City of St. Helens session on Jan. 2 as Mayor-elect Jennifer Massey and newly elected councilors Jessica Chilton and Russell Hubbard were sworn into office, and councilors selected a council president by secret ballot.

The oath of office was given individually. Mayor-elect Jennifer Massey recited, "I, Jennifer Massey, do solemnly swear ... that I will support the constitution and the laws of the United States," after which she signed the oath form. Councilor Jessica Chilton and Councilor Russell Hubbard each took the same oath in turn.

After the oaths, the council addressed one remaining item: choosing a council president. Councilors completed a written ballot administered at the meeting; a staff member directed councilors to submit ballots. Following the vote, Councilor Jessica Chilton said, "I accept," indicating she would serve as council president. The transcript does not specify the vote tally or who moved or seconded the nomination.

A council member observed that the council conducts this internal selection at the first meeting of every odd-numbered year. The meeting record shows the procedure was performed by secret ballot and that ballots included councilors' own names, but it does not record the numerical count of ballots or any dissenting statements.

With no further business, the special session was adjourned.

The proceedings recorded in the meeting concentrated on swearing in newly elected officials and the internal election of the council president; no ordinances, resolutions, or other substantive policy items were discussed or decided at this session.