Milton’s newest elected officials were sworn in Wednesday night inside a packed Council Chambers, kicking off their four-year terms.

Doug Hene and Phil Cranmer both won City Council seats in last November’s election. A Design Review Board member, Hene ran unopposed to replace Paul Moore. Cranmer, who was part of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, defeated incumbent Rick Mohrig. Carol Cookerly, meanwhile, earned re-election to represent District 1/Post 2 – a position she has held since 2019.

Milton Municipal Court Chief Judge Brian Hansford administered oaths to the three individually, with the crowd breaking into applause each time. Only after all three were sworn and had their pictures taken did Mayor Peyton Jamison call the Councilmembers up to take their seats on the dais alongside himself as well as returning members Andrea Verhoff, Juliette Johnson, and Jan Jacobus.

The full Council later chose Cookerly as Mayor Pro Tempore, a role in which she’ll step in for the Mayor when he is unavailable to speak at events and help run Council meetings.

“Remember that we have 42,000 residents that we’re going to represent,” said Jamison. “And we’re going to work hard for each and every one of them… I look forward to working with you.”

PRAISE FOR OUTGOING CHIEF JUDGE HANSFORD

The meeting officially began after the Councilmembers’ ascension, with the mood remaining upbeat all night long.

After the invocation by Police Capt. Charles Barstow and a citizen advocating for “active” park space for athletic fields (in light of a December 2023 Council discussion and vote on a Hopewell Road property’s future), Hene and Cranmer took their first votes on the Council. They joined Cookerly, the Mayor, and returning Councilmembers in unanimously approving the meeting’s Consent Agenda. This included agreements with:

• KCI Technologies to expand the scope of its engineering design services for the City related to transportation improvements at and near the intersection of Freemanville and Redd roads
• Stevens Gymnasium to buff, clean, and apply coats of MFMA-approved Bona Sport polyurethane to gym floors at Mill Springs Academy, Northwestern Middle School, and Hopewell Middle School that are home to Milton’s Parks and Recreation-affiliated basketball program
• Heath & Lineback to provide engineering services to upgrade guardrails at Bethany Road over Cooper Sandy Creek, Cogburn Road over a Chicken Creek Tributary, and New Providence Road over Cooper Sandy Creek

Mayor Jamison then led the Council, and community, in paying tribute to Brian Hansford. Hansford has served on the Milton Municipal Court since its inception in 2007, most recently as its chief judge. He will step down effective Friday, explaining in his resignation letter that he’s doing so given his increasingly busy law practice and role as Roswell’s Chief Judge.

"The memories and experiences gained [in Milton] will forever remain close to my heart,” Hansford wrote in his letter. “Thank you … for the privilege of serving as Chief Judge in the great city of Milton. It has been an honor beyond measure.”

Jamison on Wednesday applauded Hansford for having a “steady hand” and being a “great leader.”

“He’s done a great, great job representing the citizens,” the Mayor said. He then turned to Hansford and added, “You will be missed.”

NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS SWORN IN

The rest of the meeting consisted of approving Councilmembers’ appointees to City of Milton boards and committees, along with their swearing in by Mayor Jamison.

The terms of each appointee run concurrent with that of whomever chose them – so four years. (Appointees of the Mayor as well as Councilmembers Jacobus, Johnson, and Verhoff remain on their various committees for another two years, though some did make appointments Wednesday after members voluntarily rolled off.)

“One meeting a month, it can go by quick,” said Jamison. “I really do appreciate all the time that you’re going to put into this work.”

Below are the appointees for the various boards, with the Councilmember who appointed them noted:

Board of Zoning Appeals

• Hodge Patel (reappointed by Carol Cookerly)
• Lauren Holmes (appointed by Juliette Johnson)
• Zach Middlebrooks (appointed by Doug Hene)
• Nick Horton (appointed by Phil Cranmer)

   

  Design Review Board

• Ann D’Anella (appointed by Cookerly)
• David Jackson (appointed by Johnson)
• Celeste Jackson (appointed by Hene)
• Danielle Gagne (appointed by Cranmer)

   

  Milton Equestrian Committee

• Theresa Jarmuz (appointed by Cookerly)
• Mac Plummer (appointed by Hene)
• Nan Buckner (appointed by Cranmer, though Buckner had served on this committee having been appointed by now-former Councilmember Rick Mohrig)

   

  Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

• Morgan Van Gelder (reappointed by Cookerly)
• Scott Mynatt (appointed by Hene)
• Ralph Troupe (appointed by Cranmer)

   

  Planning Commission

• Fred Edwards (reappointed by Cookerly)
• Brian McNeese (appointed by Hene)
• Sumeet Shah (appointed by Jan Jacobus, though Shah had served on this commission having been appointed by Mohrig)
• Vic Jones (appointed by Cranmer)

   

  Milton Trails Advisory Committee

• Phil Van Gelder (reappointed by Cookerly)
• Keesha Asher (appointed by Johnson)
• Thomas Oliver (appointed by Hene)
• Suzanne Bock (appointed by Cranmer, though Bock had served on this committee having been appointed by Mohrig)

In addition, Hene reappointed Greg Tinker to the Milton Sustainability Advisory Committee – a group that has yet to meet but, once it does, will work with City staff on developing an updated Recycling and Solid Waste Management Plan as well as sharing advice on other sustainability initiatives.

The three newly elected Councilmembers (Cookerly, Cranmer, and Hene) were all sworn in Wednesday as members of the Milton Public Building and Facilities Authority. This rarely convened group – which  always consists of the Mayor and Councilmembers – is charged with helping Milton obtain favorable funding and financing for City facilities, land, building, equipment, roads, bridges, sidewalks, and services.

Since Monday’s Work Session is canceled, the Council should next convene on Wednesday, January 17^th (two days after Martin Luther King Day, which falls on that Monday) for a Regular Meeting.