Travelers Rest council sworn in; Grant Bumgardner elected mayor pro tem, chairs appointed

Mayor Brandy Amadon and four newly elected council members were sworn in at the Travelers Rest City Council meeting on Jan. 15.

The ceremony opened with remarks from Mayor Brandy Amadon, who asked family members to join at the front while officials recited the oath of office. Annabelle Grace Amadon, identified in the meeting as the mayor’s daughter, assisted with the proceedings. New and returning members — including John Campbell, Cheryl Orro, Katherine James and Lisa Lane — each repeated the oath and received applause from those present.

After ceremonial business, the council moved to organizational items. Nominations for mayor pro tem were opened; after ballots were collected, the council elected Grant Bumgardner to serve as mayor pro tem by a 5–3 vote. The mayor announced the tally and introduced Bumgardner as the mayor pro tem.

The mayor also read aloud standing committee assignments and chairs for the coming term. Assigned committees and chairpersons included: Ways and Means (Chair Grant Bumgardner), Planning and Development (Chair Katherine James), Public Safety (Chair Kelly Buyers) and Public Works (Chair Lisa Lane), with a Personnel committee chaired by Dr. Chenise Chris. A motion to appoint the chairs as listed was made, seconded and carried unanimously.

Council approved procedural items on the consent side of the agenda, including minutes from the previous regular meeting. The council then proceeded to other items on a relatively light January agenda before hearing the administrative update.

The meeting concluded after a brief round of council comments and community announcements; council members invited attendees to take photos with the newly sworn members before adjourning.

Next steps: Grant Bumgardner will serve as mayor pro tem; committee chairs will begin their committee work as scheduled with committee meetings set for February.