Honda and Celski take seats on council; Ferrell named deputy mayor

The first Federal Way City Council meeting for 2012 was rung in by new council members Bob Celski and Susan Honda taking their seats. Re-elected council member Jim Ferrell was also appointed deputy mayor after being the only council member nominated.

By Greg Allmain • January 4, 2012 4:53 pm
New Federal Way City Council members Susan Honda (pictured) and Bob Celski were sworn in by Judge Dave Larson on Jan. 3.
New Federal Way City Council members Susan Honda (pictured) and Bob Celski were sworn in by Judge Dave Larson on Jan. 3.

The first Federal Way City Council meeting for 2012 was rung in by new council members Bob Celski and Susan Honda taking their seats. Re-elected council member Jim Ferrell was also appointed deputy mayor after being the only council member nominated. His nomination came from Roger Freeman.

Celski and Honda shared their thoughts on taking the new positions.

“Back in 1978, some 34 years ago, I took my first oath to be an officer in the United States Army and serve my country. So here we are, 34 years later, in 2012, and I just took an oath again to serve the citizens of Federal Way and our city,” Celski said. “I take this very seriously, just like I did when I took my first oath 34 years ago.”

Celski, the new holder of council position number five, said he hopes to carry Federal Way forward to a brighter future.

“For certain, we face some unique challenges in 2012 in our city. But we also have some tremendous opportunities ahead of us as well,” he said. “I choose to remain optimistic and look forward to better times for our city and our citizens. And I promise I’ll put my resources together to work toward a brighter future for Federal Way.”

Honda thanked her family and supporters for her new opportunity on the council.

“I’m honored to be here. This is an amazing feeling to be here. I worked really hard to be here, as did many other people,” Honda said. “So what I would like to do is thank those people. First of all, my husband (Bruce)…you might have seen him on the street corners.”

Honda also promised to make the most of her time on the council.

“I will do my best, and this is really an honor and a privilege to be here. Thank you,” she said.

Council member Roger Freeman nominated Jim Ferrell to replace recently re-elected council member Dini Duclos as deputy mayor. Ferrell will be the deputy mayor for 2012 and 2013.

“We have so much talent at this dais, we have a lot of leaders at this dais, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak with potential candidates,” Freeman said of his nomination. “I think this year, you’re going to see a lot of changes, a lot of optimism, new programs, just a lot of excitement coming from this council. At this time, I would like to nominate Jim Ferrell for deputy mayor.”

Ferrell’s appointment to deputy mayor was approved unanimously.