Annalee Sams Swearing In
Annalee Harlan Sams was sworn in as mayor of Dalton on Monday night in front of a crowded audience at City Hall. Councilmembers Tyree Goodlett and Dennis Mock also took their oaths of office following their November re-elections, with Mr. Goodlett also being sworn in as the council's mayor pro tem.
"I'm really encouraged to see so much engagement from this community," Mayor Sams said at the end of Monday night's meeting, addressing the larger-than-usual crowd for a council meeting.
The meeting was preceded by a meet-and-greet reception for the new mayor that packed the City Hall lobby. "I look forward to working with all of these fine folks (on the City Council) as well as the excellent professional staff we have here at the City. I hope that we see more of you at meetings to come."
Outgoing Mayor David Pennington opened the meeting Monday night before immediately stepping aside for Mayor Sams' oath of office.
"I can't believe the crowd we've drawn tonight to make sure that I'm really leaving," Mayor Pennington joked before stepping down. "It was my privilege in 2008, the first time I was elected, to be elected with Denise Wood, the first female city councilmember in Dalton history. And now I'm very excited that I'm going out being followed by Dalton's first female mayor, Annalee Sams."
The Mayor and Council also voted unanimously 4-0 to approve the re-appointments of Police Chief Cliff Cason, Fire Chief Matt Daniel and Municipal Court Judge Rob Cowan. Mayor Sams typically votes only in the event of a tie. Chief Daniel was also re-appointed as the city's fire marshall, the position he held before his promotion last fall. He will continue in that role until a replacement as fire marshall is identified. Mayor Sams also presented a list of citizen appointments to the city's various standing boards and commissions which oversee the operations of city departments.
The next meeting of the mayor and council will be Monday, Feb. 5. City offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which would have been the next regularly scheduled meeting date. A rescheduled meeting for Jan. 16 has instead been canceled.