New and old city leaders kick off new year

Published 10:35 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

New and returning members of the Snoqualmie City Council held their first meeting of the year on Monday, Jan. 9. In addition to agenda items, the new mayor and new and re-elected council members were inaugurated.

Though legally sworn in on Jan. 3, Matt Larson was ceremoniously sworn in as mayor by Snoqualmie City Attorney Pat Anderson, who also officially swore in newly elected council members Bob Jeans and Bryan Holloway, as well as returning members Charles S. Peterson, Katherine Prewitt and Maria Henriksen. Henriksen was also elected by the council as the 2006 mayor pro tem.

Larson said that balancing the budget and securing a long-term fiscal plan will be his priorities during his term.

So far, Larson said his transition has been positive and that he believes the council is fortunate to have the council members who were elected.

“I couldn’t be more pleased coming out of the election,” he said. “There isn’t much negative residue behind … They’re a council that’s going to work as a team.”

Jeans and Holloway agreed that the budget should be the main priority, and that the council members seem prepared for teamwork during the term.

“We have a lot of recommendations floating right now and we need to turn those to actions,” Holloway said. “We’ve got a pretty good team.”

In addition to the initial tackling of issues, the first council meeting marked what Jeans and Holloway, who have no prior political experience, considered to be a proud and important moment. Both had multiple family members present for the swearing-in ceremony.

“In one breath, you say, ‘Oh my, what did I get myself into,’ and in the other breath you are ready to start a new adventure,” Jeans said. “I’m very excited about the whole thing.”