Newly elected Marble Hill officials sworn in

MABLE HILL, Mo. -- Newly elected Marble Hill city officials were sworn in Monday evening at city hall despite a tie for the open alderman seat for Ward 2.

According to Gary Shrum, Marble Hill's city administrative assistant, Mitch Miller and Joel Southwick both received two write-in votes for the seat.

"If the ballots were all filled in correctly, there could've been a four- or five-way tie," Shrum said. He said some ballots were disqualified because the box next to the write-in blank was not blacked in.

Shrum said the tie between Miller and Southwick was easily settled because Miller conceded the seat to Southwick.

"Joel is a volunteer firefighter; he's interested in city government and will make a good alderman," Shrum said of Southwick.

Marble Hill's new mayor, Russell Masterson, and new Ward 1 Alderman Clint Lacy were sworn in to office with Southwick. Aldermen Jim Sear, Ward 2, and Tim McCain, Ward 1, still have one year left of their terms.

City clerk Carolyn Surface, city collector Carla Watt and city treasurer Melisa Armstrong were each appointed to one more year of service to the city.

The city board voted to change the monthly meetings to the second Monday of each month, to begin at 6 p.m., Shrum said. He said the change wouldn't take effect until June because an ordinance will be adopted to set the new meeting night, which will be presented at the May 9 meeting for approval of the board of aldermen. Board meetings were previously held the second Thursday of each month.

Lacy said he promises to work to ensure citizens are treated respectfully at city meetings and that information is communicated in a timely and open matter by city officials.

"It's my first meeting as an alderman and I'm working to make good what I promised," Lacy said.