Baney Chairs First Council Meeting as Lock Haven Mayor
LOCK HAVEN – Bill Baney tonight presided over his first city council meeting after election as the city’s 34th mayor last November.
Baney was sworn into office at the Clinton County Courthouse on Saturday and took over as mayor midway through tonight’s brief reorganizational meeting initially chaired by interim mayor Jonathan Bravard.
Baney offered brief comments on his new position. He noted that between last year’s primary and general election he won by a total of 16 votes over council members Steve Stevenson (in the Democratic primary) and Rick Conklin in the general election. Baney said that was “not a mandate” and he and his opponents were equal.
The new mayor said he would “be the best mayor I can” and recalled his unsuccessful run (he was too young to be elected) for mayor while a senior at Lock Haven High School. He said his November election was “fulfilling a dream of over 30 years ago.”
The meeting saw Sara Stringfellow sworn in by Bravard for a four-year term on city council; she had been an interim pick to sit on council after Bravard became interim mayor last year. Participating in his first meeting was newly elected council member Doug Byerly who had been elected in November and sworn in last Saturday.
Bravard had been the council pick for mayor, replacing Rick Vilello after the former mayor resigned earlier last year to accept a position in the Gov. Tom Wolf administration. Bravard said his time as acting mayor had “been fun” and said he would be a candidate to be council’s choice to replace Baney on city council.
Council accepted Baney’s resignation from council as part of the change-over process and set its meeting of Jan. 18 to interview those seeking to fill that council seat. The expectation is a selection would be made at council’s Feb. 1 meeting.
Council voted Monday night to return Stevenson as the board’s vice-president.
