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Wilkes-Barre council elects Jessica Maclay as chair at organizational meeting
Summary
At its January 2026 organizational meeting, the Wilkes-Barre City Council elected Jessica Maclay as chair, approved a vice chair, adopted the annual holiday and meeting schedules, took oaths of office and adjourned after brief New Year remarks.
The Wilkes-Barre City Council met in its January 2026 organizational meeting and elected Jessica Maclay as council chair, approved a vice chair, adopted the city’s holiday and meeting schedules and completed ceremonial oaths of office.
The meeting opened with an invocation and a clerk-conducted roll call that recorded Mr. Barrett, Mr. Belishko, Mr. Marin, Mrs. Jessica Maclay and Mr. Meeks as present; the clerk also listed Mayor George Brown, Controller Tony Thomas, Administrator Charlie McCormick, City Attorney Tim Henry, Assistant City Clerk Tracy Smith and Administrative Assistant Lisa Sample as in attendance.
During officer elections, a member nominated Jessica Maclay for chair. The motion was recorded in the minutes as "motion by Mr. Brooks, second by Mr. Belishko," followed by roll-call responses recorded in the meeting record; the council carried the nomination and seated Maclay as chair. Members subsequently recited the oath to support and defend the constitution, the city charter and ordinances and to discharge their duties.
A nomination for vice chair was placed on the record as "I nominate Mike Blushko." The minutes show the motion recorded as "motion by Mr. Brooks, second by Mr. McClay," and a roll-call in which at least one member recorded an abstention; the vice-chair motion was recorded as approved in the meeting record.
The council also voted to adopt the city’s holiday schedule and the annual meeting schedule after motions and seconds were recorded; roll-call responses in the record show the measures carried. No substantive public comments on pending legislation were offered during the public-comment invitation.
In brief New Year remarks, several members thanked city staff and administration for their work and expressed optimism about 2026. Chair Jessica Maclay thanked colleagues for their support, saying, "Thank you for the confidence in putting me in this seat," and noted the council’s cooperation made the transition seamless.
The council moved to adjourn and took photos immediately afterward; the meeting concluded with a formal adjournment motion that carried.
