MARIETTA - Mayor-elect Steve Tumlin didn't rock the boat much in his new committee appointments released this week.

"I tried to make 51 percent of them happy, maybe 52," Tumlin said with a laugh.

The city's seven council members will continue to chair the committees they led in 2009 with the exception of Holly Walquist, who was defeated in the November election by Johnny Sinclair.

Tumlin transferred the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Committee chairmanship, previously held by Walquist, to Sinclair for 2010. Walquist and Sinclair are fairly different on some issues. For instance, Walquist voted for the $25 million parks bond, while Sinclair voted against it.

The other committee chairs wanted to keep their positions and Tumlin agreed to allow them.

One change he made was to appoint Councilman Grif Chalfant as the representative to the Marietta Board of Lights and Water, a position held by Councilman Jim King under retiring Mayor Bill Dunaway.

King also held the position of mayor pro tem, a position Tumlin gave to Councilwoman Annette Lewis.

Tumlin said King will have his hands full as chair of the citizens committee tasked with advising council how to spend the $25 million parks bond.

Tumlin appointed Councilman Anthony Coleman as presiding officer, a position previously held by Councilman Van Pearlberg.

Mayor pro tem leads the meetings in the absence of the mayor, while the presiding officer leads in the absence of the mayor and mayor pro tem.

Councilman Philip Goldstein was re-appointed to another four-year term on the city's pension board, while Sinclair replaced Lewis on that board.

In an effort to enhance communications, Tumlin appointed council members to serve as liaisons to five new groups. He appointed: Sinclair as liaison to higher education, meaning the three institutions in Marietta, Southern Polytechnic State University, Life University and Chattahoochee Technical College; Pearlberg as liaison to the medical community such as WellStar Hospital; King for Lockheed and the military; Coleman for the faith-based community; and Goldstein for the Chamber of Commerce.

All appointments, Tumlin said, are subject to council approval, which he asks take place when members are sworn in on Monday.

"All in all, from the feedback I'm getting, I think it's going to work out pretty well," he said.