WILLIAMSBURG — Recently elected Williamsburg City Council Members Pat Dent, Barbara Ramsey, and Ayana Williams were officially sworn in for a four-year term at the Courthouse of 1770 on Jan. 9.
Dent is serving his second term on city council, Ramsey is serving her third, and Williams is serving her first. Their four-year terms end on Dec. 31, 2028. They join Douglas G. Pons and Stacy Kern-Scheerer, who were elected in 2022, on the five-member council.
The event began with David “Cash” Arehart, Sergeant at Arms for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, after which an introduction was delivered by Mayor Pons.
Presentation of Certification of Election was performed by Thomas Mainor, Chair of the Electoral Board. Following, presiding judge of the Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court Administrators Holly Smith officially swore members Dent, Ramsey, and Williams into office.
“I’m not a person who believes in campaign promises, but one thing do promise is that I’ll work for [you] and I’ll work hard for the city of Williamsburg. I’m looking forward to working with my city council members, the people in the community, and city staff to make Williamsburg even better than it is today,” said Dent.
“We have a lot be thankful for. We also have a lot to do and I’m extremely thankful for being on this council to help [us] moving forward and we hurdle to 2026,” said Ramsey.
“It is truly an honor to be joining such a remarkable and diverse team of individuals [the council’s] dedication and service over the last couple of years has truly set a long legacy of commitment and leadership that I deeply respect and I hope to emulate here in Williamsburg,” said Williams.
Following the official oaths of the appointed members, a city council organizational meeting was held. The meeting saw the election of the mayor and vice mayor of the city of Williamsburg, with Pons reelected as mayor and Dent reelected as vice mayor for the 2025-26 term — a third term for each in those roles, which are determined every two years. Both were unopposed.
The next city council meeting will take place on Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Center.
