Pensacola City Council Welcomes New Members
by Jeremy Morrison, Inweekly
The public face of Pensacola looks a little different, with several elected officials exiting office and others being installed during a series of ceremonies Nov. 22 at Pensacola City Hall. Notably, Pensacola’s new mayor, D.C. Reeves, is beginning his political career, while former mayor Grover Robinson is wrapping his own 16-year run up.
Mayor Reeves nodded towards the city’s revitalization in recent years, but stressed that there was more work to be done.
“Today’s the greatest honor of my life. I’m humbled by the love I’ve felt from the people of my hometown,” Mayor Reeves told a packed gallery of spectators after being sworn into office by his brother, James Reeves, II. “And it’s a dream to have this chance to serve.”
Robinson thanked Pensacola’s residents for electing him — “serving as mayor in your hometown is a special feeling” — and briefly ticked off the highlights of his time in public office, which included 12 years as an Escambia County commissioner. He also alluded to the numerous challenges that plagued his mayoral years — “as St. Paul says in his epistle, ‘I have run the race and I’ve fought the good fight’”— such as the coronavirus pandemic, Hurricane Sally or social justice protests — and said he felt good about how the city weathered such storms.
“Any single one of these issues alone would have challenged most cities, but in Pensacola we found a way to prevail and emerge from all of them collectively as a better community,” Robinson said. “We’ve done this by working together.”
In addition to a change in mayors, Pensacola is also seeing a change on the dais of the Pensacola City Council. Outgoing council president Ann Hill is being replaced by newcomer Allison Patton, who will be representing District 6. In District 2, Sherri Myers is walking away from 12 years on the council, as Charles Bare returns to council, where he previously served as an at-large member (the at-large seats were eliminated several years ago). Finally, Councilman Jared Moore was reinstalled for another term representing District 4.
Each council member, those leaving and those arriving, said a few words, thanking supporters and listing accomplishments. For her part, Councilwoman Myers concluded her lengthy run by speaking about municipal efforts she worked on — such as Carpenters Creek restoration efforts, or lobbying for her ‘Uptown’ district — and committing to continue working for the betterment of the community following her time in office.
“When I leave here, nothing is going to change other than I won’t be up here,” Myers said, smiling. “I’ve been fighting for the same things all my life.”
In addition to installing a couple of new members, as well as returning one, city council also selected a new president and vice-president. Councilman Casey Jones was unanimously selected as vice-president, while Councilman Delarian Wiggins, who previously served as vice president, was unanimously selected as president.
Council President Wiggins thanked Robinson, as well as his peers on council, who were saying good-bye, and also welcomed Mayor Reeves and said he was looking forward to moving into a new era of municipal government in Pensacola.
“We have a new council, we have a new way of thinking and a new way of doing business,” Wiggins said, telling Mayor Reeves he was ready to get to work. “I look forward to working with you on your vision of how you want to move the city of Pensacola forward.”