Keith Gaskin takes oath of office to officially become mayor of Columbus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Keith Gaskin Era began for Columbus Thursday morning as he took the oath of office to officially become the city’s new mayor.

There was a full crowd on hand inside the Trotter Convention Center to witness the swearing-in of the city’s first new mayor since 2006. Gaskin ran on a platform centered around education, public safety, infrastructure and uniting Columbus.

Gaskin chose the Rev. Dr. Rosalyn Nichols as his keynote speaker and she spoke at length about how his ability to represent all citizens of Columbus fairly would be one of the defining factors of his time in office.

Gaskin reiterated that he wants to be a public servant, first and foremost.

“This is about the citizens of Columbus,” he says. “This isn’t about me as an individual and I’ve talked to the members of the city council about it.”

Gaskin got to work serving Columbus residents immediately, helping to hand out sandwiches during the lunch following the ceremony.

“It’s not about us as individuals, it’s about what can we do together that is best for the city,” he says. “I’m very proud of the city council that I’ll be working with. I look forward to partnering with them as we move forward towards making good change in the city.”

Gaskin’s first words as mayor?

“Hail State,” he told the crowd, leading to a round of applause for the College World Series Champion Mississippi State Bulldogs.