Mystery at Columbus Council. New member isn’t sworn in despite being on the agenda
The agenda for Tuesday night’s Columbus Council meeting shows Byron Hickey was scheduled to be sworn in as the District 1 representative, succeeding the late Pops Barnes. But without a public explanation, that ceremony indefinitely was postponed.
The Ledger-Enquirer was scheduled to interview Hickey an hour before the meeting. When he arrived, Hickey apologized for having to delay the interview because he was told he wouldn’t be sworn in at the meeting.
Hickey said he couldn’t explain why and couldn’t say when he expects the swearing-in to be rescheduled.
As evidence of the suddenness for this delay, Hickey said he had to notify friends and family who were planning to attend the meeting to see him sworn in Tuesday night. In fact, he had a great-niece with him from Florida when he arrived.
And 6 minutes before the interview with the L-E was scheduled to start, Hickey texted this reporter with a request to “please call me ASAP.”
Before the council meeting started, the L-E asked city attorney Clifton Fay and Mayor Skip Henderson for an explanation.
Fay said he couldn’t answer because it’s a personnel matter. Henderson told the L-E in a phone message, “I don’t know anything about it. The first I heard about it was when I heard your voicemail. . . . I don’t have any clue what’s going on.”
Then, at the point of the meeting when the agenda called for Hickey to be sworn in, Henderson announced that he was informed the ceremony “will be delayed, and we’ll bring him back ... over the next couple of weeks. I know he was able to be sworn in by the probate judge yesterday, but he needs to be sworn in by the superior court judge, and that has been delayed.”
Without any other comment about the matter, the meeting continued as scheduled.
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 6:20 PM.
