The city got its first glimpse at the new makeup of the Colorado Springs City Council on Tuesday.

The six district council members who won election in April were sworn into office at a morning ceremony on the south side of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. The new members were sworn in by Municipal Court Judge HayDen Kane on the museum steps and addressed a crowd of local leaders and supporters.

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A few hours later in the afternoon, the council met for the first time to choose its new leadership. Lynette Crow-Iverson was elected as the council president after being the second-in-command president pro tem for the past two years. Councilmember Brian Risley was chosen as the new president pro tem. Crow-Iverson and Risley were not challenged for the positions and were unanimously approved.

The council president leads the meetings and works with city staff to determine when issues will come up for a vote. Crow-Iverson said she was excited to use that experience from her first two years on the council to lead the body.

The votes for the council leaders were the first official actions by newly elected Councilmembers Tom Bailey, Kimberly Gold, Roland Rainey Jr. and Brandy Williams. Dave Donelson and Nancy Henjum retook their oaths of office to being their second terms.

During brisk speeches at the swearing-in, councilmembers thanked God, their families, the friends and supporters who worked on their election campaigns and the voters of Colorado Springs who elected them.

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“It is mentorship, sponsorship and community that brings us together and brings people to podiums like this and to any position of success in Colorado Springs,” Gold said. She was elected to represent southeast Colorado Springs in District 4 in a three-way race.

Bailey cruised to a win in District 2 on the north side after the other candidate dropped out. Williams won the most competitive city election this year for District 3, which covers downtown and the southwest side. Rainey won the election to represent the northeast section of the city in District 6. 

There were a few references to the heavier political issues the new council will have to face. Henjum mentioned the challenges the city faces with energy production and water access, as well as the need to compromise to solve problems.

Rainey talked about the impossibility of completely solving crime and homelessness in the city, but signaled his determination to give his best effort.

“Vote for the citizens. They are the ones that elected you. They deserve a city that is cleaner and safer and, for my District 2 friends, quieter,” Donelson told the other councilmembers.

The District 2 line was a reference to the Ford Amphitheater, which opened last year on the north side and led to a flurry of noise complaints from nearby neighbors. Bailey spoke next and appeared to bristle at Donelson’s comment.

“We need to try to avoid the little zingers, the little barbs. They can be fun but they don’t really have a place in governing a city this size; that’s this important to all of us,” Bailey said.

Crow-Iverson and Risley immediately met with city staff afterward to set the agendas for next week’s more expansive meetings. Wednesday will be the council’s first meeting as the board for Colorado Springs Utilities.