Beaufort County Council met yesterday, Thursday, January 2, at 10 a.m., to swear in the following members of the  66^th County Council who were recently re-elected: Gerald Dawson, District 1; York L. Glover, Sr., District 3; and Logan Cunningham, District 7.

Immediately following the swearing in, Council voted on County Council Chair and Vice Chair. Council Member Alice Howard (District 4) is the new County Council Chair and Anna Maria Tabernik (District 6) is County Council Vice Chair. This vote represents the first time in Beaufort County history when two women have held the Chair and Vice Chair positions.

"I want to thank our previous Chair and Vice Chair for all their hard work. They've done an outstanding job, and I look forward to the next two years. We have a lot of work to do, and I am honored to serve the people of Beaufort County," said County Council Chair Alice Howard. 

The Chair is elected to a two-year term by Council at the first meeting in January following a general election. The Vice Chair is charged with carrying out the duties of the Chair in their absence.

"I'd like to thank people for coming today and thank our past Chair and Vice Chair for leading us through two challenging years, my first two in public office. We're a body of eleven elected officials that represent 200,000 people and we need to set our focus on doing that together. Our goals must be to communicate with the public, be transparent in our actions, and get things done in the best interests of our county’s constituents," said newly elected Vice Chair Tabernik at the Ceremony.

Probate Judge Heather Galvin administered the Oath of Office in the Council Chambers. Family members, friends, and the public watched as the recently re-elected council members place a hand on the bible and take their oath to uphold the U.S. and S.C. Constitutions and make legislative decisions to the best of their abilities.

Beaufort County Council is an elected body responsible for passing ordinances, setting County policies, and developing an annual budget for the administration of public services to citizens. The Chairman is elected to a two-year term by Council at the first meeting in January following a general election. The Vice Chairman is charged with carrying out the duties of the Chairman in their absence.

For more information, agendas and meeting schedules, click here.

Watch the swearing in ceremony here.