Newly-elected members of the Shelby City Council were sworn into office on Thursday afternoon. Newest members elected to council included Nathan Martin serving the 4th ward and Patricia Carlisle serving Ward 1. Returning members included Harold Shasky serving Ward 2, Garland John Gates serving Ward 3, and Steven Schag serving At-Large.
Mayor Marilyn John welcomed and thanked audience members for attending the swearing in ceremony.
“I so appreciate all of you coming and being a part of this and supporting these individuals who are getting ready to take the oath of office,” said John. Judge Heather Cockley performed swore in each council member.
Carlisle is once again serving on city council; she also served a term from 2006-2009. After her term in 2009, she became a part of the Planning Commission for the city of Shelby.
“I was born and raised in Shelby and I am Shelby proud. I am a true believer in this community,” said Carlisle.
Carlisle shared what she hopes to achieve during her term serving on council.
“The first thing is to get used to new arrangements because there are new people serving in the departments that we work with. It is important for council members to remember that we hold the reins of finance and we need to make sure that we have the correct priorities of finances,” said Carlisle.
Carlisle also commented on challenges the city of Shelby faces. “Finances are always a challenge and we must make sure we set priorities,” said Carlisle. Carlisle will serve as chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee.
Martin ran for Congress in 2006 while residing in Richland County and he shared his inspiration for running for council. “I felt that the needs weren’t being met in my ward and my platform on running was to increase communication. I want to bring a sense of community and common sense conservatism,” said Martin.
Martin shared a challenge that council will face in the upcoming years. “Securing money for a new fire station will be a challenge,” said Martin.
Martin added that he hopes to be a good representative for his ward. “I want to listen to the viewpoints of Ward Four,” said Martin.
