4 Cleveland Council Members Sworn Into Office

The Cleveland City Council met Monday at the Museum Center at Five Points for the installation and reception for four newly elected councilmen. Three are returning, David May, Dale Hughes and Avery Johnson, and Tom Cassada is new to the council. All were sworn in by Judge Mike Sharp.

 

Councilman Cassada told the audience that he was looking forward to serving District 3 for the next four years.

He said that he will have an open door policy and that he will always be available to his constituents by email and phone.

 

Councilman Hughes thanked the people from District 5 for re-electing him for another four years. He told the room that his top priority is to try and encourage the city and county commissioners as well as state representatives to influence TDOT to move work on Highway 60 up on the chain and complete the improvements sooner than planned. His second biggest concern is for the council to develop a better relationship with the Bradley County Commission. He said there is no reason for either to have an aloof attitude about working with each other because working together the two commissions can better the community. Other issues coming up that he sees as important are to build more tennis courts in city parks and to have the police and fire departments fully equipped and fully manned.

 

Councilman Avery Johnson is returning to the commission as a representative at large and said he will be happy to work for all citizens of Cleveland. He said that transparency is first on his list of wishes for the new commission. Everything needs to be above board, and the public has the right to know everything that is done, he said. He would like to have the agenda for each council meeting posted in newspapers by the latest, on Thursdays before the Monday meetings. Mr. Johnson said the new city manager, Joe Fivas, is off to a great start and that the council should not micro-manage him or interfere. He would like for the council to create a 3-10 year strategic plan. Needs of the community could be determined by holding community town hall meetings by district. When all these meetings are concluded, he would like for the council to prioritize the projects for the next 10 years considering how they would be funded. He, too, sees the benefit of reconciling with the Bradley County Commission. "Together we can get things done quicker to benefit everyone," he said. The disagreements in the past have mostly come down to money, he said.

 

David May ran for his position with no opposition this year. This will be 20 years since he was first elected, and he said he was fortunate to be part of the council that has done great things for Cleveland. In the next four years he said it will be important to find a way to pay for projects “without killing the taxpayer.” He said that the members of the council need to be friends, come to the meetings and vote their conscience, and leave as friends. He said he is aware that decisions the council makes will not please everybody. The city employees could not be a better group, said Councilman May, and he feels extremely fortunate to be in this position.