By George Slaughter
Bill Hastings – Katy News photo
Mayor Bill Hastings, Ward A Council Member Frank Carroll, and Ward B Council Member Jenifer Jordan Stockdick were sworn into their respective offices before a standing-room-only crowd Tuesday night at City Hall.
Hastings, a former Katy police chief, was making his first bid for elected office. He defeated incumbent Mayor Chuck Brawner to win the seat.
Hastings becomes the 16th mayor in Katy history. He will serve a three-year term thanks to voter-approved changes in 2017 that lengthens the mayor’s term of office.
Brawner, a retired Spring Branch Independent School District police chief, served as a Ward A council member and mayor pro tem before being elected mayor in 2017.
In remarks after being handed the gavel from Brawner, Hastings said he would continue the projects Brawner started, just as Brawner continued the projects that his predecessor, Fabol Hughes, had worked on.
Carroll, an attorney, was making his first bid for elected office and had no opponent in the election. The city council last August appointed Carroll to succeed Gary Jones, who resigned for personal reasons.
Stockdick, a banking executive, was also making her first bid for elected office. She defeated Steve Pierson, a former council member, to win the seat. Stockdick succeeds Jimmy Mendez, who was term-limited from seeking reelection.
Carroll and Stockdick will serve two-year terms.
The oaths were administered after the outgoing city council voted to accept the results of the May 4 election.
The newly sworn in council holds its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 17, at Katy City Hall, 901 Avenue C.