City session makes history with 7-member Council

Thursday, January 14, 2016
Members of the new Greencastle City Council, which met for the first time Tuesday as a seven-member body, are (from left) Tyler Wade, Fourth Ward; Dave Murray, at-large; Stacie Langdon, Second Ward; Mark Hammer, at-large; Steve Fields, Third Ward; Adam Cohen, First Ward, and Gary Lemon, at-large. Cohen was elected City Council president for the eighth straight year during the 90-minute session at City Hall. (Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE)

Plenty of old faces in new places was the theme of the historic first Greencastle City Council session of 2016 Tuesday night.

For starters, longtime Greencastle/Putnam County Economic Development Director Bill Dory, a fixture behind the City Hall podium dozens of times in the past in detailing development projects and employment opportunities, was presiding over the Council in his new capacity as mayor of Greencastle.

Dory immediately put his mark on the proceedings, asking the Council, department heads and the slim audience of four to rise and recite the "Pledge of Allegiance." While a county meeting staple, reciting the pledge has not typically been a part of city proceedings.

New Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory (right) swears in most of his city department heads during a ceremony at the outset of Tuesday's City Council meeting at City Hall. Staying on in their respective capacities in the new administration are (from left) City Attorney Laurie Hardwick, Parks and Recreation Director Rod Weinschenk, City Planner Shannon Norman, Forest Hill Cemetery Supt. Ernie Phillips, Department of Public Works Director Brad Phillips and Water/Wastewater Supt. Rob Lovell. City Police Chief Tom Sutherlin was absent and new Greencastle Fire Chief John Burgess was sworn in separately. (Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE)

The meeting also marked the first gathering of the new seven-member City Council, which added two at-large members with the last election, as a result of the city eclipsing the 10,000-population mark.

Joining Mayor Dory and Clerk-Treasurer Lynda Dunbar, beginning her second term at City Hall, Tuesday evening were seven councilors -- Adam Cohen, First Ward; Stacie Langdon, Second Ward; Steve Fields, Third Ward; Tyler Wade, Fourth Ward; and Mark Hammer, Gary Lemon and Dave Murray, at-large.

Cohen, Hammer and Wade are veterans of the Council with Langdon, Fields, Lemon and Murray coming on board for their first term.

Politically, the Council makeup gives a 4-3 advantage to the Democrats (Cohen, Fields, Lemon and Murray) with Langdon, Wade and Hammer as Republicans.

Noting Tuesday was just his seventh day on the job, Dory said, "Everybody has been very gracious and kind to me to help me get settled in."

Explaining that he has met individually with each Council representative, Dory said he plans to work on initiating neighborhood development strategies.

The mayor also plans to meet with YMCA representatives to "get a better handle" on the status of the proposed community center project. At last word, the YMCA board was still pondering the possibility of operating a community center in Greencastle in a facility to be built or remodeled by funds administered through the Redevelopment Commission.

"There's a lot of work to do," Dory said overall, "but like I said, I've only been here seven days."

Dory was also asked about progress toward finding his successor at the Development Center. He said the search committee is in the process of interviewing a couple of candidates for that position.

During the City Council reports and comments portion of the agenda, Council President Cohen suggested two topics he would like to see the group explore this year -- homelessness and the poverty levels within the city and what can be done to help, as well as the drug issue within the community.

"Greencastle is not immune to the problems we're seeing across the state," Cohen reasoned.

Traditionally, the first meeting of the new year means time for the Council's annual reorganization and restructuring of city department liaison assignments and city board appointments, and Tuesday night was no different.

Most notably, for the eighth straight year, Cohen, the city's First Ward representative, will again serve as president of theCouncil.

Cohen initially assumed that leadership role in 2009, during just his second year on the City Council when he succeeded John Lanie as president of the city's then five-member governing panel.

Meanwhile, Council members will again team up with the various Greencastle departments as liaisons.

"It's our job to be an advocate for them," Council President Cohen said, explaining how the liaison positions operate.

For Cohen that means responsibility as liaison for the Police Department; Murray as Fire Department liaison; Wade as Utilities Department advocate; Langdon as Department of Public Works liaison; Hammer as Planning Department liaison; Fields serving in that capacity with the Parks and Recreation Department; and Lemon as Forest Hill Cemetery liaison.

The City Council also made its board assignments for 2016 Tuesday night. Those include:

Commission on Sustainability -- Fields.

Putnam County 911 Board -- Langdon.

Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center Board -- Murray (Lemon is on the board already, serving a three-year commitment as a mayoral appointment).

Greencastle Plan Commission -- Hammer.

Park Board -- Fields.

Putnam County Animal Care and Control Board -- Police Chief Tom Sutherlin reappointed.

Tree Board -- Lemon.

Economic Development Commission -- Wade.

Cable Access Committee -- Wade.

Meanwhile, concerning its annual appointments to the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission, the Council unanimously renamed Erika Gilmore to an additional one-year term. A second appointment was tabled since Tanis Monday has moved outside city limits and cannot be reappointed.

The City Council will next meet in regular session at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9 at City Hall.

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