Dontae Payne becomes Olympia’s mayor as elected officials sworn in Wednesday

Dontae Payne and many other recently elected officials swore their oaths of office during a Wednesday ceremony.

Dozens of onlookers attended the afternoon ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College’s Minnaert Center for the Arts. Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall swore-in each official on the theater stage.

“Let us pledge to govern with integrity, ensuring that the concerns of all citizens are heard and considered,” Hall said during the ceremony. “By working together and embracing the diversity of our community, we can embody the principles of democracy and lead our constituents to a better future.”

The ceremony took place more than seven weeks after the Nov. 7 general election, in which 39.4% of the county’s 196,717 registered voters participated. It also occurred about a month after new Thurston County and Port of Olympia Commissioners swore their oaths in a separate ceremony.

The crowd cheered and clapped when Hall called Payne up to the stage for his oath. Payne is the first Black man to serve on the Olympia City Council and be elected mayor. After the event, Payne told The Olympian he felt “wonderful.”

“I feel just such gratitude to our community for electing me,” Payne said. “It’s a tremendous time of opportunity to serve, not just for the City of Olympia, but for our broader community.”

Payne said he is excited by the opportunity to make some “real change” in Thurston County and Olympia. He added he felt honored to serve the entire community along with all the other recently elected officials.

“I might be a leader of the Olympia City Council and of our city’s government, but ultimately, what we do is accomplish things together as a community,” Payne said. “So I’m very much looking forward to helping facilitate that and bringing about a shared vision for the City of Olympia.”

Others who were sworn in include recently elected council members for Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and other local cities and towns. Additionally, Hall swore-in people elected to various school and fire districts.

What else happened at the ceremony?

Prior to the oaths of office, Hall welcomed the Rev. David L. Reaves, a pastor from New Life Baptist Church. Reeves asked the crowd to repeat the phrase, “We can’t do it alone. We can do it together,” three times before sharing a prayer.

“We pray and even invoke your presence and ask oh god within our ecosystem of servants each and every person who’d be sworn in today would be able to feel their duties and be able to move out into community to offer service unto humanity in ways that will bring and make our place a better place to live.” Reaves said.

Hall then introduced Paddy McGuire who serves as the Mason County Chief Superior Court Administrator. She said McGuire has over 20-years of election management experience in Washington and Oregon.

McGuire called on the newly elected officials to be inclusive and resist authoritarian impulses. He also told them to lead with humility and integrity.

“Today is about a new beginning,” McGuire said. “A fresh start and opportunity to make our upper left corner of our country a little better. Let’s set aside the sharp elbows of the campaign trail and do our best to work together because that’s what the people who elected you expect and deserve.”

After swearing in the recently elected officials, Hall presented Karen Fraser who previously served as a state senator, Thurston County commissioner and Lacey mayor.

Fraser described the oath of office as an important part the “political glue” that holds the country’s democracy together. Given her decades of experience, Fraser offered her advice to the recently elected officials.

“Each of you have clearly earned the respect, trust and confidence of people throughout our community,” Fraser said. “This is a real treasure in life, these feelings toward you. So, guard it, grow it and don’t blow it.”