Nov. 18 – The majority composition of the Odessa City Council will change Tuesday at 4 p.m., when the newly elected mayor and three council members are sworn in.
The public is invited to the ceremony at the Ector Theater, 500 N. Texas Ave.
Newly elected Mayor Cal Hendrick will be sworn in by Judge Stacy Trotter. Hendrick soundly defeated incumbent Mayor Javier Joven in a bitter race in which Joven and his surrogates tried to portray Hendrick as a liberal and even attacked Hendrick’s church.
Hendrick continued to fix Odessa’s failing infrastructure, especially roads, water, and waste disposal.
District Judge Sara Kate Billingsley will swear in newly elected council member Craig Stoker. Stoker defeated incumbent Denise Swanner in a divisive campaign in which Swanner and her allies attacked Stoker, who is openly gay.
Those attacks, like the one on Hendrick, failed because Swanner also lost decisively. Stoker, the executive director of Odessa’s Meals on Wheels, has said he wants a positive future for Odessa and to get to work on infrastructure.
Judge Eddy Spivey will administer the oath of office to Eddie Mitchell who defeated incumbent Mark Matta for the District 1 seat. Spivey has said he is concerned about infrastructure and also continued to revamp what he calls the gateway to Odessa, the south side of Odessa, which is part of his district.
Incumbent District 2 Councilman Steve Thompson is the only incumbent to hold his seat. He will be sworn in by Judge Denn Whalen.
Thompson will enter his second term with a friendlier group on stage, having been at odds with Swanner, Joven and Matta for four years.
The current council will meet for the final time at Odessa City Hall on Tuesday at 3 p.m. to certify the elections.
Coinciding with the swearing-in of the new council on Tuesday, a reception for Matta, Swanner and Joven is planned at the Elegante to thank them for their service.