During its first meeting of 2024 on Tuesday, Powell City Council elected a new mayor and vice mayor to preside over council meetings for the next two years.

Tom Counts, reelected to his fifth term on council in 2021, has been selected to serve as Powell’s next mayor for a term ending Dec. 31, 2025. Counts has been on council since 2006 and previously served as Powell’s mayor from 2008-09 and vice mayor since 2022. Before being elected to council, he served on the Board of Zoning Appeals for five years and then on the Planning and Zoning Commission for five years.

Counts replaces outgoing Mayor Daniel Swartwout, who wrapped up his second and final term on council last month and had served as mayor since Jan. 4, 2022.

After being reelected in November with the highest number of votes received for one of three available seats, Heather Karr has been selected by her fellow council members to serve as Powell’s vice mayor through Dec. 31, 2025.

Karr was elected to her first term in 2020 and has also served on the city’s Development Committee, including as its chair. Karr has also chaired the Community Diversity Advisory Committee, which was formed following Karr’s drafting of a resolution against racism following her election.

In addition to selecting its new leadership, the council welcomed two new members who were elected as part of the November election. Leif Carlson and Tyler Herrmann were sworn into office by Judge David Gormley of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.

Hermann received 18.08% of the votes cast in November, while Carlson received 14.98%. Their terms will expire on Dec. 31, 2027.

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.