NORRISTOWN – Three new members of Norristown City Council were sworn in to begin their work as elected officials in a reorganization meeting on Monday evening.
Ward 1 Councilor Rashaad Bates, Ward 3 Councilor Dustin Queenan and General Councilor Tiffani Hendley won their local council seats in the 2021 general election.
Outgoing city councilor Rebecca Smith was also re-elected for a second term as general representative.
Judicial District Judge Gregory Scott asked each of the council members, one by one, to raise their hands and repeat after them as they took the oath of office. The four politicians had family members by their side for the ceremony.
Vice-President Thomas Lepera greeted them with a few kind words.
“You come at a good time. There are a lot of exciting things going on in this city, ”he said. “We will continue to move in the right direction and continue to work hard. “
Norristown City Council members were then tasked with choosing a new president and vice-president as part of the annual reorganization meeting. Lepera, first elected in 2019, has been named president and city councilor Heather Lewis has been chosen as vice-president.
Scott was sworn in to Lepera and Lewis, establishing their leadership positions.
First elected in 2015, Lewis had previously served as vice president in 2019, according to a city spokesperson.
Lepera paid tribute to former Norristown City Council members Valerie Moman, Derrick Perry and Sonya Sanders. Their terms officially ended on December 31, 2021.
“Because without them we wouldn’t be in the position we are in today to move this city forward,” said Lepera.
His comments were applauded by in-person meeting attendees at the Montgomery County Midfielder in downtown Norristown. Last year’s reorganization meeting was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In other cases, elected officials voted unanimously to renew several members of the municipality’s professional staff. According to City Manager Crandall Jones, they consist of multiple department heads ranging from department heads to legal counsel:
- Deputy City Secretary Crystal Henry
- Roseann Santangelo Council Clerk
- Chief Financial Officer and Collector Kathy Pfister
- Director of Municipal Planning and Development and Zoning Officer Jayne Musonye
- Director of Public Works Thomas Odenigbo
- Norristown Police Chief Derrick Wood
- Norristown Fire Chief Thomas O’Donnell
- Norristown Fire Marshal Richard Lockhart
- Municipal Lawyer: Sean Kilkenny Law Firms, Norristown
- City Labor Attorney: Cozen O’Connor, of Philadelphia
- Municipal Engineers: Pennoni Associates, King of Prussia
- Public Service Lawyer: Rudolph Clarke, LLC, of Trevose
- Environmental advisor: G&C Legal, of Newtown Square
- Government Affairs Consultant: Pugliese Associates, of Harrisburg
The next meeting of Norristown City Council is scheduled for January 18 at 6:30 pm at the MCIU, located at 2 W. Lafayette St. in Norristown. For more information, visit norristown.org.
