In a room stuffed with city and county officials, middle-school students and Alachua County residents, three re-elected county commissioners were sworn in to serve for another term.
Mike Byerly, Paula DeLaney and Rodney Long were all elected Nov. 4 and took their oaths Tuesday afternoon to continue serving as members of the Board of County Commissioners.
Long was also sworn in as the president of the Florida Association of Counties, an organization made up of county commissioners from around the state.
There has never been a president of the association from Alachua County, said J.K. "Buddy" Irby, the clerk of the court.
Commissioners also voted on their leaders for the next term.
Byerly was elected chairman of the board, and Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut was elected vice chairwoman. Both positions were elected unanimously.
Before the oaths, Long, former chairman, gave an overview of the board's accomplishments in the past term.
He said the board has learned to adjust to difficult economic times.
"We experienced the true meaning of doing more with less," he said.
He commended the commission on its work with annexation, energy conservation and efforts to merge fire services with the county's smaller cities.
After Long's speech, he, Byerly and DeLaney took their oaths, stating they would faithfully perform the duties of county commissioners.
The inauguration closed with statements from the re-elected commissioners, though Byerly's statement was short.
"After eight months of campaigning, I am just about speeched out," he said.
Long thanked the voters of Alachua County, along with family and friends, for his re-election and said he is always willing to serve local government.
DeLaney said she felt honored to take on her second term as a county commissioner.
Being a part of local government has been the most exciting experience of her life, she said.
"It's really been an honor to serve with this team," she said.
