City Council voted unanimously Monday for Councilman Sherman Saunders to continue to serve as mayor of Danville, and in a split vote, it chose Councilman Dr. Gary Miller to serve as vice mayor.
Their terms as mayor and vice mayor will be for two years. Saunders has served as mayor for the past four years. Miller will be serving as vice mayor for the first time.
“I am very thankful for the confidence you have placed in me,” Saunders said following the vote. “I will do my best not to let you down. The city of Danville has made much progress, but we still have much work to do.
“I am convinced that we can continue to make our city better, and I am looking forward to being part of that process.”
The selection of Saunders and Miller as mayor and vice mayor took place during an organizational meeting. The meeting is held every two years to certify the winners of City Council elections, select a mayor and vice mayor, and then issue seat assignments for each Council meeting.
Saunders, Larry Campbell, Buddy Rawley and Fred Shanks won re-election to City Council in May. They were joined today in taking the oath of office by Lee Vogler, who won election in May for his first term on Council. He is the youngest-ever member to serve on Council.
Council members serve four-year, staggered terms. The other members of Council are Larry Campbell, John Gilstrap, Alonzo Jones and Adam Tomer.
Gilstrap nominated Saunders as mayor, saying Saunders has done “an excellent job for four years, and he will continue do so.” Saunders was the only nominee.
For vice mayor, Campbell nominated Miller, but a contest was created when Shanks nominated Tomer. Miller voted for himself as vice mayor and received the support of Campbell, Gilstrap, Jones and Saunders. Tomer voted for himself and received the support of Rawley, Shanks and Vogler.
Following the 5-4 vote, Miller said, “I believe in Danville. I love this city, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that Danville is a world class place to live, work and play.”
Miller and other Council members took time during the meeting to praise the work of Danville Utilities and Public Works crews for their efforts in restoring electricity in the aftermath of a wind storm on Friday night that at its height left 13,000 customers without power. Fire and Police personnel also were praised for their response to the high volume of calls received over the weekend from citizens as a result of the storm and 100-degree temperatures.