Hassan T. Kingsberry took the oath of office – twice – during Monday evening’s Henderson City Council meeting as he officially assumed the dual role of city manager and city attorney.
The Hon. Henry Banks administered the oaths of office – that of city attorney first, and city manager second.
The room was filled with family, friends and others who had come to witness the ceremony. Kingsberry was selected in early December to be interim city attorney following the retirement of D. Rix Edwards. However, when Terrell Blackmon announced in mid-December that he, too, was leaving his job as city manager, the City Council voted in a split decision to have Kingsberry take on both jobs – full-time city manager and part-time city attorney.
In remarks before he administered the oath of office, Banks said he was “overwhelmed” to see so many people in the audience interested in local government, adding it gave him a “sense of joy and pride.”
Banks continued, he told Kingsberry that his “primary duty will be to provide leadership…but perhaps the most important thing (is) to present to this Council unassailable advice” as its members make decisions.
“Mr. Kingsberry has impeccable professional integrity,” Banks said. “He’s a man of faith and we can’t overlook that.”
In remarks following the ceremony, Kingsberry thanked members of his extended family for being present for the occasion. “I thank God for this moment,” he said. “The other thing I would say is, it is our time.”
He said he is a transparent and honest person and someone who will stand up to critics of Henderson. “…when people ask you about Henderson, and people always say ‘you’re from Henderson…you’re from Warren’…they say, it’s rough. I said, ‘Don’t talk too much, because I’m from there.’ You represent your town.”
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