by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Out of the hospital and onto the stage.
That was just one of the scenes during Thursday night’s City Council Installation ceremony, where still-recovering Council Member Ronnie Fussell was sworn in as the 2008-09 City Council President at the T-U Center.
Earlier this week, Fussell became ill with gall bladder problems and was hospitalized at Baptist Medical for a few days but was released Thursday in time for the ceremony.
After being sworn in by Judge Dan Wilensky, he used his hospital experience to reflect on what it will take to have a successful Council year.
“The City Council body is like the human body,” he said. “Each has numerous working parts and each Council member has a vital set of knowledge they bring to issues. Each member and part depend on one another to have a well functioning body.”
Fussell continued the body analogy, stressing the need for everyone to use their “eyes, ears, mouths and brains” to get positive things accomplished while conducting “autopsies” on spending to make sure that taxpayer dollars are going toward beneficial programs instead of pet projects.
“Workhorses, not show horses,” he said.
Fussell wasn’t the only one sworn in Thursday night.
With his family by his side, Council Member Richard Clark was sworn in as City Council Vice President by Chief Judge Donald Moran and talked about his roots in Jacksonville and his urge to make the City better.
“There isn’t a better place than Jacksonville to raise a family,” he said. “Together, I know we can make this city an even better place to live.”
Outgoing Council President Daniel Davis was also honored during the event and was presented a plaque for his efforts by Fussell on behalf of the rest of Council.
For Davis, it was a time to reflect while looking ahead to his next goals.
“It’s a passing of the baton off to Ronnie,” said Davis before the ceremony. “I’m going to continue to work on making Jacksonville better and I am really going to focus on the Port business. There’s a lot of potential there for the City.”
During his speech, Davis looked back on his year as Council president and noted the advancements in the public-private partnerships, his recent trip to Panama for a hands-on look at the port business and some of the Council decisions that were made - not easy ones, but ones he said that history will show were correct.
In the end, Davis said he would miss being Council president but was excited for the future.
“It has been a great year,” said Davis. “I learned plenty of life lessons and I am excited to have the opportunity to see all the things that will be accomplished in the great city.”
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