New city leaders officially sworn into office

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - When the Wichita Falls City Council meets next week there will be three new faces greeting those in attendance.

Wichita Falls Mayor Tim Short said he and the council are ready to dive into the business of running the city.

“We’re ready to get started and it’s a new day in Wichita Falls, and we’re ready to move forward with some of the things that folks have been looking forward to, that we talked about on the campaign trail. We’re looking forward to moving ahead with securing that generational water source, with economic growth, and with transparency,” Mayor Short said.

Mayor Short said he’s already gotten to work on meeting with everyone he can to make sure he stays up to date on how Wichita Falls is growing.

“I’ve already had several meetings, I’ve been able to talk to council like I said I wanted to. I did meet with Ron Kitchens, that was one of the important ones that I said I was going to talk to about, you know, what’s in the pipeline for the city, who are we working on, who do we need to go see, and who do we need to take to lunch,” Mayor Short said.

Tom Taylor was sworn in as councilor for winning his race for District Five and said he’s excited to get started on helping his district get the attention it needs from the city.

“A lot of people who have lived there all their lives, or people like me that adopted Wichita Falls, we feel as though District 5 has been neglected somewhat by the city that will be on my agenda to try and facilitate some priority for those,” Councilor Taylor said.

Mike Battaglino was sworn in as the councilor for District four and released a statement about his excitement to work for the sake of the people of Wichita Falls.

“Today I gratefully and humbly entered my position as the Wichita Falls District 4 City Councilor. I will serve as an extension of the voice and values of the citizens who elected me and am fully committed to realizing the vision that I campaigned on to make Wichita Falls the best place in Texas to live and raise a family! I am excited about our first official meeting on the 21st and look forward to working with my fellow councilors and the mayor as we embark on this journey together. The future of Wichita Falls is very, very bright,” Councilor Battaglino said.

Councilor Taylor said he will do his part in becoming and remaining a voice for the people in his district and across Wichita Falls.

“What I can promise is for every issue that comes up, in particular the ones where the council has to vote on, I will study the issue, I will get the facts that are available, I’ll review them, I’ll listen to my constituents, and then I’ll make a decision,” Councilor Taylor said.

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