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Ellensburg council swears in three members; Rich Elliott chosen mayor, Loquist named mayor pro tem
Summary
Newly elected councilors took the oath of office and the council elected Rich Elliott as mayor and Loquist as mayor pro tem in paper‑ballot votes. The session included discussion of how the council will handle proclamations and committee assignments for the term.
Newly elected council members were sworn in at the start of the January meeting, and the council elected its leadership for the term.
At the opening of the meeting the oath of office was administered to the newly elected council members (introduced in the record as Goodwill, Loquist and Palmer), after which councilors nominated and voted for council leadership. Rich Elliott was nominated for mayor and confirmed by the council following the paper‑ballot process described at the dais. Council then nominated and voted to confirm Loquist as mayor pro tem.
The mayor also raised a procedural question about the role of proclamations in meetings. The council discussed whether proclamations should remain posted in the agenda packet and on the website (the approach used recently to limit contentious public discussion) or be read aloud in a shortened form to preserve ceremonial and educational value. Some councilors argued the written/posted approach helps the council move through business, while others said reading a condensed proclamation could better educate the public.
Council members also began assigning liaisons to boards and commissions, identifying schedules and conflicts of interest (for example, members with night‑shift work limiting attendance at evening commissions). The council agreed to finalize the assignment list by the end of the meeting.
The meeting proceeded to other agenda items after confirming leadership and addressing procedural questions.
