Members of Washington’s new City Council and Mayor Mac Hodges took their oaths of office Monday during a brief ceremony presided over by Superior Court Judge Wayland J. Sermons Jr.

The only new member of the council is Roland Wyman, who replaces Larry Beeman, who did not seek re-election. Hodges presented a plaque to Beeman in recognition of his tenure as a council member.

Richard Brooks, Virginia Finnerty, Doug Mercer and William Pitt retained their council seats by being among the top five vote-getters in last month’s election.

Wyman nominated Finnerty to serve as mayor pro tempore, and the council unanimously elected her to that position. Traditionally, the council elects the top vote-getter in the election to that post. The mayor pro tempore oversees council meetings when the mayor is absent.

During the public-comments section of the meeting, which came before the new council was sworn in, Bill Clark, an unsuccessful candidate in the council election, and Dot Moate expressed concerns that tradition would not be followed.

“Around town, I’m hearing something very, very troubling to me. I’m hearing this not from just once source, but many sources. I’m hearing this from sources from the right, from the left and in the middle of the political persuasion,” Clark said. “I hope what I’m hearing is not true, but just a crazy rumor that has no basis in fact. What I’m hearing is very nontraditional in our city. Please continue to honor the City Council tradition of electing the 2017 election’s to vote-getter, Councilwoman Finnerty.”

Clark said the fact that more voters marked ballots for Finnerty in the council election is proof she has the support of city residents.

“I’m here to request about the same thing that Mr. Clark did and continue a tradition of appointing the mayor pro tem with the person who received the most votes in the last election, and that is Ms. Finnerty. I wish you would continue that. I understand over the last many years there have been two that were not the high vote-getters who were mayor pro tem, but that was a long time ago,” Moate said.