The Falls Church City Council adopted a policy for the swearing in and election of new mayor and vice mayor at its meeting Monday night to complete the realignment of City Council elections from May to November, which happened for the first time this month.

Under the old system of May elections, which held for many years, the new Council was sworn in without fail on July 1 and the election by the seven-member body of a new mayor and vice mayor was the first order of business. Now, with no one interested in devoting their New Year’s Eve to a similar ritual, the Council chose a policy of swearing in in the weeks ahead of the new year, and the election of the mayor and vice mayor on the first Monday after the first Friday of the new year. So, this time the swearing in will be at a Council meeting on Dec. 9, and the election of the new mayor and vice mayor will be on Monday, Jan. 6, at a special meeting held in conjunction with a Council work session.

The Dec. 9 meeting will mark the departure of three Council members – Johannah Barry, Ira Kaylin and Ron Peppe – all of whom chose not to seek reelection this fall, and they will be honored then prior to the swearing in of four new members that night – Marybeth Connolly, Karen Oliver, David Snyder and Dan Sze. Peppe is expected to be absent on that date, away on business travel, so his final day of service will be at the Council work session of Dec. 2.