COURTHOUSE — A majority of the City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 3, selected Rosemary Wilson to continue serving as vice mayor.
“I think I’ve shown in the past that I’m very collaborative,” Wilson said after she was sworn in. “I try to keep everybody informed to the best of my ability. The budget is a very, very big part of this job, and I think, last year, we had one of the best budgets that I can remember. That’s because everybody worked together so well. We have a lot of important issues to take on, and I know that this council can do it.”
Wilson faced one other candidate, City Councilmember Sabrina Wooten, in the vote among council members to select the vice mayor. That role means filling in for the mayor as needed and leadership roles in the agenda and budget processes.
Mayor Bobby Dyer and Councilmembers Michael Berlucchi, Barbara Henley, Rocky Holcomb, Amelia Ross-Hammond, Joash Schulman, Chris Taylor and Wilson voted for Wilson. Councilmember Jennifer Rouse and Wooten voted for Wooten. Councilmember Worth Remick abstained.
Berlucchi, who represents District 3, nominated Wilson, noting her contributions and service to the city. Wilson, a realtor and former member of the School Board, has served on the City Council since 2000.
Wilson has served as vice mayor since September 2021, following the resignation of former Vice Mayor Jim Wood. At that time, Wooten and former City Councilmember Aaron Rouse, who recently completed his term on council and now is seeking state office (he is the husband of Jennifer Rouse), also put their names in to be vice mayor. Wilson won among the three candidates.
“I strongly believe that she has the experience, the knowledge, the track record of success, as well as a willingness to continue serving as vice mayor,” Berlucchi said of Wilson while nominating her on Jan. 3.
“I wanted to make sure we supported someone who would make sure those issues make it to the agenda,” Rouse said.
Wooten during remarks congratulated new members of the council sworn in during the meeting, and she also congratulated Wilson.
Yet Wooten criticized the process of selecting a vice mayor, noting that she has sought the role three times. She said there isn’t much discussion about picking the person for such an important job.
“One of the first things I’ve learned is that there is no process,” Wooten said.
She said there should be a transparency and greater discussion among the members of the council before they decide.
© 2023 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC
The definition of a RINO. Says yes to every fee hike & tax hike. Never says no to Bruce Thompson. Why does the RPVB allow her to be a member?