Councilman James Ward took his ceremonial oath of office on Wednesday night, in a brief ceremony preceding his first Rye City Council meeting.
Ward, a Democrat, joins the council after being elected in an uncontested race in November. An environmental advocate who chaired the city Sustainability Committee, he sees developing a new master plan as his priority.
But his term is only interim — he’ll serve this year, filling the seat previously held by Sara Goddard. Goddard had stepped in last January to fill out the unexpired term of Ben Stacks, after Stacks resigned from the council in December 2023.
Ward, 54, won’t have much time to get comfortable. The newly installed councilman must run again in November, if he wants to secure a full four-year term.
