The New Castle City Council met Monday for the first time of the new year with several new members present. Four of the seven council members were elected to office in November and Mayor Greg York said he was looking forward to working with them.
“I’m excited about this up and coming year. I feel like we’ve filled these seats in the most positive way we can. I’ve got all the trust and confidence in the world with the newcomers. ... I appreciate you stepping up and representing your neighborhoods and our community and I think we’ve got an exciting future ahead of us,” the mayor said at the outset of the council meeting.
New to the council are Lynn Perdue, Mary Pierce-Abbott, Jerry Walden and Aaron Dicken. They join veteran council members Rex Peckinpaugh, Jeff Hancock and Mark Koger. The group voted unanimously for Koger to serve as council president and Hancock to serve as the panel’s vice-president.
Council committee assignments were also announced.
Koger, Peckinpaugh and Perdue will serve on the Special Issues Committee. Hancock, Walden and Dicken will serve on the Traffic Committee. Dicken, Walden and Abbott will serve on the Public Works & Safety Committee. Abbott, Dicken and Peckinpaugh will serve on the Cemetery & Parks Committee. Peckinpaugh, Perdue and Koger will serve on the Economic Development Committee. Walden, Abbott and Hancock will serve on the Water & Sewage Committee. Perdue, Hancock and Koger will serve on the Annexation Committee.
The council also appointed Dan Conway to a three-year term on the Henry County Convention & Visitors Bureau board of directors. Conway replaces Noel Blevins on that board.
Contact information for council members, other city officials and department heads can be found online atwww.cityofnewcastle.net/egov/apps/staff/directory.egov.
