COLUMBIANA — The year 2026 started with a administering of oaths for elected officials and law enforcement.

It kept the city’s municipal attorney Mark Hutson busy as he sworn in re-elected mayor Rick Noel; council members Robert Quetot, Amanda Banner and Ted Souder as well as newly hired full-time police officer Talon Ellis and recently promoted police sergeant Richard Whitfield.

Whitfield had been employed by Columbiana police more than 15 years, most recently as a detective. He had started as a scout in the department’s  Explorers’ program as a teen, according to Columbiana police chief Mark Edwards.

Previously Whitfield had served as a deputy sheriff for Mahoning County and a patrolman for the village of Lisbon.

During the reorganizational portion of Tuesday’s council meeting, Skip Liston was re-elected by his peers as council president.