A new Salina City Commissioner was sworn in Monday afternoon. Dr. Trent Davis took the oath, and will replace commissioner Barb Shirley.

After being sworn in, Davis briefly spoke. He thanked Shirley for her “tireless years of service” and went on to say “I expect to see you back on the political front in the future”. He then drew a laugh when he added “and I need to thank my wife for letting me do this”.

Shirley resigned back on August 11th, citing time concerns, saying that she could not fully commit the time needed as a commissioner. She agreed to stay on until a new commissioner was selected.

Davis was selected last week from a group of five people who expressed interest in the position. The others included Alan Jilka, Abner Perney, Kristin Gunn, and Joe Hay. Davis’s first full meeting as a commissioner will September 8th.

Shirley was first elected in 2011, and served as Salina’s mayor in 2013. During her time as mayor Shirley was a big proponent of equal rights, and joined a national group of mayors who support gay marriage. She became the first Kansas Mayor to join more than 350 other mayors across the country to join Mayors for Freedom to Marry.

When the city commission did its routine reorganization in January, and Shirley’s term as mayor ended, she said it was a tough year personally for her. “I had two job changes, I lost my son, and my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer” she said. Since then her father has passed away.