WMC-TV 5 - Memphis, TNAvery sworn in as Shelby County mayor; Wharton to be sworn in as Memphis mayor at noon

Avery sworn in as Shelby County mayor; Wharton to be sworn in as Memphis mayor at noon

UPDATE: Joyce Avery has been sworn in as mayor of Shelby County.  Former Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton is set to be sworn in as mayor of Memphis at a noon ceremony at City Hall.

You can watch live coverage on Action News 5 at Noon and WMCTV.com.

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MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Memphis Mayor-elect A C Wharton will be sworn in Monday.    

City council members said they expect a better relationship between the incoming mayor and the council, with Wharton bringing years of experience from the county side of government to a relatively new city council.

Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery will return to his seat on the city council.

"Mayor Wharton has a mandate from the public - more than 60% of the vote, so we're going to cooperate on the council with him," he said.

Councilman Jim Strickland will work on the new mayor's Metro Charter Commission.

"We needed a unifying mayor, someone who's going to bring blacks and whites, Democrats and Republicans, males and females all together," Strickland said. "And he dominated in the polls among all those groups, and I think you'll see the council follow his lead."

Strickland says you can also expect more streamlining, regardless of whether Wharton is successful in establishing a metro government.

"I think you'll see some functional consolidation between the city and the county - maybe one fire department, one engineering department," he said.

Lowery says citizens can expect the tone at City Hall to shift over the next few days as the new mayor brings in his own people and Lowery returns to the council.

"Obviously we saw some jealousy from the council while I served as mayor pro tem. I expect that to be gone now because I'm back with my colleagues," he said.

Also Monday, Shelby County Commission Chair Joyce Avery will be sworn in as the new Shelby County Mayor. She will be the first woman to hold the position.

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