A short ceremony Friday morning marked the beginning of new terms for those who won November elections for Cole County offices.
Those sworn in for the next four years included Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher, Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperle, Sheriff John Wheeler, Treasurer Eric Peters, Assessor Chris Estes and Public Administrator Joe Kuensting.
Circuit Judge Jon Beetem administered the oaths in his courtroom and told the officeholders this was the end of a process some people started over a year ago.
"It represents the results of the citizens of Cole County performing the most important duty of a citizen, that being to vote," Beetem said. "Mr. (Steve) Korsmeyer (county clerk) has assured me that he was not hacked by the Russians, so we can be confident in the results."
Beetem told the officeholders the oath is a solemn vow to reinforce the importance of the obligations one takes as a public official.
"I've sworn in park rangers, Capitol police officers and water patrolmen as new members of the Highway Patrol," he said. "Many times I will ask them how would they uphold the Constitution in the performance of their job. The answers, when I could get them, were surprising and somewhat sad.
"I call it the 'pesky' Constitution, as it always seems to get in the way of what we want to do. You are promising to support it - and that means all of it, not just the parts you like. If you don't know what you are agreeing to do, I suggest that you look it up. You should be able to answer the question, 'How do I support the constitutions in what I do, and how do I faithfully demean myself in my office?'"