Brookhaven council swears in two members, affirms mayor’s slate of appointments and moves to executive session on litigation

Brookhaven’s City Council on Jan. 5 held a special meeting to administer oaths of office to two councilmembers, confirm a set of mayoral appointments and then move into an executive session to discuss litigation.

Judge Anna Maria Martinez swore in Jennifer Owens and John Funny, each repeating the oath to support the U.S. and Georgia constitutions and the city charter. Owens, after being sworn in, said she was “humbled” and described public service as a fulfillment of a dream, thanking residents, family and colleagues for their support.

Mayor John Park led the ceremonial portion of the meeting, invited a prayer from Pastor Kevin Eads of Live Brookhaven and introduced the national anthem performance by Chelsea Mason. Park opened the meeting by asking the clerk to call the roll and later said the council had “work to do” before moving on to appointments.

The council then considered a series of mayoral appointments. By voice vote the council approved the selection of Councilmember John Funny as mayor pro tem and confirmed nominations the mayor presented, including reappointment of the city manager, confirmation of the city attorney, the reappointment of Sandra Bryant as city clerk, and judicial and advisory nominations. Mayor Park announced his intent to reappoint Christian Sigman as city manager; the motion language in the record also contains the spelling “Kristen Sigman.” Jeremy Berry was nominated to continue as city attorney, and Sandra Bryant was reappointed as city clerk. The council approved the appointments by voice; the public record for the meeting notes ayes and no opposition but does not give individual roll-call tallies.

The mayor also announced judicial appointments: Laura Stevenson to serve as senior judge, and a motion to appoint a chief judge recorded in the transcript with inconsistent name spellings (appearing as “Brian C. Ramos” in one place and “Ryan Ramos” in another). The council approved those nominations by voice vote. The council also approved the appointment of Schwartz Law Firm LLC as solicitor for the city and named Michael F. Johnston as the internal auditor.

Councilmembers offered brief remarks after the confirmations. Owens highlighted priorities including parks, walkability and affordable housing. Mayor Pro Tem John Funny thanked residents and staff, cited ongoing redevelopment projects in District 4 and expressed continued commitment to public safety and collaboration. Councilmember Michael Diaz and Councilmember Madeline Simmons also gave remarks praising the council’s teamwork and city accomplishments.

Near the end of the public session the council voted by voice to enter an executive session to discuss litigation. Mayor Park stated the council was in executive session and said members would reconvene only to adjourn and then proceed to scheduled receptions.

Votes at a glance: - Mayor Pro Tem (Councilmember John Funny): approved by voice vote; individual vote tallies not specified in the transcript. - City Manager (nomination recorded as Christian/Kristen Sigman): confirmed by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - City Attorney (Jeremy Berry): confirmed by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - City Clerk (Sandra Bryant): reappointed by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - Senior Judge (Laura Stevenson): approved by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - Chief Judge (name appears as "Brian C. Ramos" and "Ryan Ramos" in different transcript lines): approved by voice vote; name inconsistency noted; individual tallies not specified. - Solicitor (Schwartz Law Firm LLC): approved by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - Internal Auditor (Michael F. Johnston): approved by voice vote; individual tallies not specified. - Motion to enter executive session for litigation: approved by voice vote.

The meeting’s public portion closed when the council entered executive session on litigation; members and guests were directed to receptions on the 1st and 4th floors following the closed session.

Notes on recordkeeping and transcript inconsistencies: the public transcript contains duplicated lines during the oath language and inconsistent spellings for several appointees’ names (notably Christian vs. Kristen Sigman; Brian C. Ramos vs. Ryan Ramos; and John Funny vs. John Fennie in different lines). The article flags these inconsistencies and reports the names as they appear in the record rather than resolving them to an external source.