Details set for Columbia mayoral inauguration, swearing-in of new City Council members
The city of Columbia has set plans for the inauguration of its next mayor and the swearing-in of three new Columbia City Council members.
Longtime City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann will be inaugurated as Columbia’s 45th mayor, and three new council members — Tina Herbert in District 1, Joe Taylor in District 4 and Dr. Aditi Bussells in an at-large seat — will be sworn-in at 4 p.m. Jan. 4. The ceremony will be at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center at 1101 Lincoln St. There will be a reception immediately following the ceremony.
Rickenmann, who has served as a council member for 12 years, ascends to the mayoral seat after winning a four-person race in November. He ultimately outlasted longtime City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine in a hotly contested Nov. 16 runoff. Rickenmann will succeed third-term Mayor Steve Benjamin, who did not seek reelection this year.
Bussells, a public health researcher, came out on top of a seven-person field in the November election to take the citywide at-large seat. She ultimately defeated attorney Tyler Bailey in the Nov. 16 runoff.
Taylor, a businessman and the former state secretary of commerce, was unopposed in the District 4 race in November. District 4 is in the northeast part of the city.
Herbert, an attorney and the former director of the city’s Office of Business Opportunities, outlasted state corrections officer Christa Williams in the November District 1 race. District 1 is in north Columbia.
In all, there are seven seats on Columbia City Council, including the mayor.
This story was originally published December 26, 2021 at 8:15 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to report that Daniel Rickenmann will be Columbia’s 45th mayor.
