Bartlett’s three newly re-elected aldermen and two city judges took oaths of office Sunday at the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center.
The municipal judges were:
- Tim Francavilla, Division I, whose oath was administered by Bartlett Mayor A. Keith McDonald
- Dan Brown, Division II, whose oath was administered by R. Price Harris, Memphis municipal judge
The aldermen were:
- Bobby Simmons, Bartlett Alderman, Position 4, whose oath was administered by Francavilla
- Jack T. Young, Bartlett Alderman, Position 5, whose oath was administered by Mayor McDonald
- Paula Sedgwick, Bartlett Alderman, Position 6, whose oath was administered by Mayor McDonald
“We have the privilege of serving a great city, all those who are being sworn in today and those seated in the audience who had previously been elected and sworn in,” McDonald said. “We serve really good people. We have a great heritage. And yet I believe the best is still ahead.”
He looked ahead to what the continuing growth of Bartlett City Schools will mean to the city, along with the city’s job growth, such as the 250 jobs recently announced at Olympus.
“I believe so many great things are yet still ahead, not only for us but for generations ahead of us,” he said. “But that only happens if good people are willing to serve in an honorable way.”
He charged himself and his fellow officials to do what is best for the community as a whole, and he thanked the newly elected officials and their supportive family members.
“Staying grounded with our friends, our families, our constituents, on a personal basis, will keep us doing the right things, for the right reasons,” McDonald said.
He also commented on the number of young people attending the oath of office ceremony and told them, “We need you to be preparing yourself to serve. To be standing with us, working with us shoulder to shoulder to make good things happen, because at some point in time, it’s you, not us. … So please work with us, toil with us for the good of the many and not the benefit of the few.”
Mark Brown, the city’s chief administrative officer, also thanked city personnel who coordinated the swearing-in ceremony: Jeannie Underwood, administrative assistant to the Bartlett mayor; Debbie Gelineau, Bartlett director of community relations; and Michael Bollinger, the new BPACC director.
Dignitaries attending the oath of office ceremony included Rep. Ron Lollar (R-Bartlett), Alderman Emily Elliott, Bartlett City Schools board member Shirley Jackson, Shelby County Commissioner David Reaves (District 3) and Terry Lafferty, retired criminal court judge.
Ryan Phillips, Eagle Scout from Troop 261, led all in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Rev. Scott Greer, senior minister for New Hope Christian Church in Bartlett, led the invocation.
For links to the re-elected city aldermen’s biographies and emails, visit cityofbartlett.org/61/Board-of-Mayor-and-Aldermen. For city court information, visit cityofbartlett.org/26/Bartlett-City-Court.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
