Senoia Mayor

Joan Trammell's last official meeting ended with a bang as the mayor left

City Hall shortly before Mayor-elect Dianne Cleveland was sworn into office.

Trammell's

stormy exit was the culmination of one of the most contentious political

periods in Senoia in years.

Near the end

of Monday's acrimonious City Council meeting, Trammell informed Cleveland

that she would officially take office Dec. 31 at midnight and told her

she would have to be sworn in before Jan. 1.

Cleveland was

taken aback and said she understood that she would take office at the

Jan. 7 council meeting.

But Trammell

quoted City Attorney Drew Whalen as saying the law had changed and the

shift in power would take place at the first of the year.

Whalen then

added that Cleveland could actually wait until Jan. 7, which drew an icy

glare from Trammell.

City Councilman

Robert Hannah suggested Cleveland go ahead and take the oath Monday, since

the press was already at the meeting.

Trammell said

she would prefer not to be involved, but City Councilman Bill Wood suggested

the council take a 10-minute recess so city clerk Debbie Hogan could find

the oath and a Bible to stage the ceremony.

"I guess

you can do whatever you want to, since you're in power now," Trammell

said.

When the meeting

recessed, Trammell gathered up a plate of Christmas cookies and strided

toward her car, followed by City Administrator Leonard Thompson, who resigned

after the election.

Five minutes

later, Cleveland took her oath of office and became the third consecutive

female mayor to lead the city.

Newly elected

Councilman Pat Tunnell will be sworn into office Jan. 7.