The Seymour Common Council has a new president for 2024.
During the first meeting of the new year Monday night in the council chambers at city hall, Jerry Hackney was unanimously chosen president. He just wrapped up his first four-year term representing District 2 and served two years prior to that after being appointed to fill a vacancy.
Dave Earley previously served as president, but he chose not to run for reelection of his District 5 seat. Brad Lucas ran unopposed for that seat in the November 2023 general election.
Other members of the council are Matt Wheeler (District 1), Chad Hubbard (District 3), Seth Davidson (District 4), Drew Storey (at-large) and Clint Blish (at-large).
Wheeler and Davidson just finished their first terms and reclaimed their seats for another four years, while Hubbard defeated a challenger in the general election to keep his seat for another four years, and Storey and Blish won the at-large seats in the general election. Storey has served the past four years, while Blish is a newcomer.
Also during Monday’s meeting, Mayor Matt Nicholson announced council members’ committee appointments. They are:
Finance: Hackney (chairman), Davidson and Lucas
Governmental affairs: Lucas (chairman), Hubbard and Wheeler
Public utilities: Blish (chairman), Storey and Davidson
Planning and zoning: Wheeler (chairman), Hackney and Blish
Thoroughfare and drainage: Storey (chairman), Lucas and Hackney
Retail development: Hubbard (chairman), Blish and Wheeler
Industrial development: Davidson (chairman), Hubbard and Storey
The council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, and the committees meet whenever necessary. Contact information for each councilman is available online at seymourin.org/offices/city-council. Report a concern online at seymourin.org/report-a-problem.
The council also made four appointments during Monday’s meeting, and those were unanimously approved 7-0.
Wheeler will serve on the Seymour Plan Commission, which meets at 5 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. Nicholson said that has historically been a member of the council. Bret Cunningham previously served in that role, but he chose not to seek reelection for his council at-large seat.
Mark Dennis and Nate Tormoehlen will continue to serve on the Seymour Redevelopment Commission, which meets at 4 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month. They hold the seats of president and vice president, respectively.
“Mark Dennis has been on it since the day it started. Mark is a wealth of historical knowledge. Nate has also done a good job. He has been on there seven, eight years at this point,” Nicholson said. “Both have done a good job. Both are willing to serve again.”
Davidson will continue to serve on the Seymour Economic Development Commission. Nicholson said in the four years Davidson has been on that board, it has met once. According to state code, Davidson’s first term expires Jan. 31.
“Basically, what they do is related to when we build a police or fire station. They are involved in that piece of it,” Nicholson said.
Finally, Wheeler will keep serving on the Crossroads Community Trails committee. He has been a member of it for five years.