For the cities of Troy and Brundidge on Monday, the swearing in of elected officials meant the return of many familiar faces — and the welcoming of a new one.

In Troy, the council chambers were filled with onlookers as all five city council members and Mayor Jimmy Lunsford were sworn in for new four-year terms.

District 5 council member Wanda Moultry was the only Troy elected official to face any opposition during the August election.

The event proved an emotional one for Troy’s three longest serving officials, Lunsford, District 2 councilmember Charles Meeks and District 4 council member Johnny Witherington. The swearing in was the last for all three as they confirmed their new terms will be their final ones.

All three have served in their respective offices for more than 20 years.

“I guess when you see that the end of your years in service to the city are not very far away it makes you very thankful for the opportunity to serve,” Witherington said.

District 3 Council member Jason Reeves said it had been an honor to serve with the three veteran city officials.

“Volumes wouldn’t hold all that I’ve learned from the people in this room,” Reeves said.

In Brundidge, four returning city council members and Mayor Jimmy Ramage were sworn in to new terms, while new council member Steven Coleman took the oath for the first time.

Coleman, the new District 5 representative, defeated Isabel Boyd in a hard-fought race that ended in a runoff in early October.

Coleman said joining the city council is “a dream come true.”

“I grew up watching the council members through the years … and now I get to be a part of it,” Coleman said. “It’s something I’ve wanted for a longtime and now the hard work has paid off.”

In Troy, the city council voted to reappoint Anthony Everage as police chief, Thomas Outlaw as fire chief, Nicholas Cervera as municipal judge and Alton Startling as city clerk.

In Brundidge, the council voted to delay the reappointment of its police chief and city manager until Dec. 31 because an operating budget for the new fiscal year has not yet been approved. The Brundidge council did vote to reappoint Don Dickert as the municipal judge.

The newly-sworn in Brundidge City Council will hold its monthly meeting today at 4 p.m.