Woods virtually sworn in as Tempe mayor
Dressed in a dark blue suit and a purple tie, Corey Woods held up his right hand and recited the oath of office from his kitchen table as he was sworn in as Tempe’s new mayor on Thursday night. Woods is recovering from a mild bout with COVID-19 and is self-quarantining at home.
He defeated Mayor Mark Mitchell in the March election. Mitchell had led the city since 2012 and served on the council for three terms before that.
First-time Councilwoman Doreen Garlid and incumbent Councilmen Randy Keating and Joel Navarro were also sworn in from home during the virtual ceremony on Thursday.
Woods comes on board at an especially tumultuous time.
Besides voting on what downtown development should look like or helping address traffic issues, he will guide Tempe through the remainder of the novel coronavirus pandemic and an expected revenue shortfall caused by loss of tourism and sales tax dollars.
Woods, who previously served on the City Council and was elected mayor in March, also is expected to lead conversations on what policing should look like in the community amid renewed calls for police reform amid ongoing protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police.
As Tempe’s first Black mayor, he recognizes that there’s additional pressure to make changes to the department, he said.
Residents have high expectations for him. On social media, he’s been called on to act on a host of issues, including trimming the police budget and addressing homelessness and affordable housing.
“Clearly there is uncertainty and we definitely have our challenges but I feel prepared to lead and I know that this council is prepared to lead right alongside me,” he said during the ceremony. “I’m anxious to get started fulfilling the promises I made to you and ready to get to work.”
Garlid, a former KSAZ -TV Fox 10 business manager, has been involved in the community for three decades, serving on various boards and commissions. Garlid, a member of the Navajo Nation, is the first Native American to serve on the council. On Thursday, she thanked her family and residents as she took office.
“I know that there are challenging times in our nation, in our state and in our city, and moving forward we will have tough decisions to make but I couldn’t ask for a better mayor and council to find solutions to the problems that we are facing,” she said.