It was all set to be an all-city celebration, with a ceremonial swearing-in of Cleveland’s first new mayor in 16 year, with the public invited to come to Cleveland’s Public Hall to mark the beginning of a (hopefully) new day for the city with now-Mayor Justin Bibb.
Then came Omicron and the celebration was going to be virtual. Eventually, instead, Mayor Bibb choose to be sworn in just after midnight on Monday January 3, the day he was set to take office. That limited-attendance event took place at the East 131st Branch of the Cleveland Public Library in Mt. Pleasant, where Bibb grew up. After a long intro by his former campaign manager Ryan Puente, now appointed to be his Chief Government Affairs Officer, he was sworn in by Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Michael Nelson with his hand on a Bible held by his mother Charlene. Following his own swearing in, he swore in one of his own first appointments, Mark Griffin as Chief Legal Counsel.
While Bibb has appointed some supporters and colleagues to key positions as is typical, he’s broken tradition by posting job openings for other top slots which new office holders would generally fill with trusted associates. That suggests that he’s casting a wide net to look for qualified people with talent and experience. That, along with the fact that his transition team featured both veteran civic leaders with wide networks and fresh faces suggests that Bibb may do what many hoped: bring together the best aspects of experience and new approaches.
You can watch the short ceremony here: