MARIETTA — Citizens stormed City Hall with cheers, applause and all around goodwill as Steve “Thunder” Tumlin was sworn in as the city’s 54th mayor of Marietta Monday night.

Georgia Supreme Court Justice P. Harris Hines of Marietta, who administered the oath of office to Tumlin, as well as the seven City Council members, said there’s something more to Marietta’s new mayor than just intelligence and a devotion to community service. It’s a kindness Tumlin gets from his late parents, Steve and Virginia Tumlin, Hines said.

“He has that same warmth. He has a personality that wants to be kind to people, a personality that wants to help people and bring people together. He’s the same today as he was many, many years ago — a talented leader, a person who thinks of others before he thinks of himself, and I know he’s going to be a healing influence on our city and continue to make what I think is a wonderful city even better,” Hines said.

Deane Bonner, president of the Cobb NAACP, hailed the event as an exciting evening.

“It’s a new beginning,” Bonner said. “...Steve is going to listen. He is a person that we feel will be very inclusive.”

City gadfly Larry Wills also weighed in on the significance of Mayor Bill Dunaway stepping down into retirement after two terms in office.

“It is truly a great day for Marietta. Just like the day Dorothy’s house fell on the Wicked Witch in the Land of Oz,” Wills quipped.

Monday’s meeting began with the Rev. Dr. Sam Matthews, senior minister at First United Methodist Church, delivering the invocation, followed by Dunaway and the old City Council members taking their seats for the final time.

Whenever a councilmember or mayor steps down, tradition is for the senior council member to present them with a tongue and cheek resolution. Councilman Philip Goldstein presented such a resolution to Dunaway, declaring that whereas Dunaway had served the city as mayor for eight years, “leading many a charge and lighting many a fire in his March Through Marietta,” and whereas a mayoral policy of “scorched earth has produced some charcoal-broiled council members,” be it resolved that having completed two successful terms as mayor, Dunaway returns to private life “with the thanks and best wishes of the City Council for his dedicated leadership and determined advocacy of Marietta.”

Before turning the mayor’s seat over to Tumlin, Dunaway made some last remarks, expressing his appreciation to city staff and residents who helped make changes in the city.

“In this past period, Marietta has had the most progress and positive changes than in other period of its history,” Dunaway said.

Dunaway said the morning would be strange since for the last eight years he has gone to City Hall at least five or six days a week not because he had to but because he wanted to.

“Thank you again to everyone and to the council members who have helped me so much. This has been the most rewarding and satisfying period of my life. Truly, it has all been wonderful,” Dunaway said.

Tumlin took the oath with his hand on the Bible of his late maternal grandmother, Harriet Brooks Horne. Holding the Bible was his wife, Jean Alice. Next to them stood: their son, Ty (Steve III), who works in advertising in Atlanta; Ty’s wife, Ashley Tumlin, an attorney; Tumlin’s daughter, Jamie Patrick, an accountant, and her husband, Ryan Patrick, an attorney, both of whom work with Tumlin in his firm; their daughters, Ali, 3, and Virginia Rhodes Patrick, 1; and Tumlin’s second son Sig Tumlin, a CPA with KPMG.

Tumlin said he intends to keep working at his job as a tax attorney, although he acknowledges that the mayor’s job is “a 24/7, 365 days a week” commitment.

Whether he’s in the mayor’s office, his law office, or the grocery store, he said he always intends to have his mayor’s hat on.

“I like the part about being a citizen mayor,” he said. “I personally think it makes you more effective. If I get in that nice office they’re going to furnish me, you don’t see as many people. I think by being out and scratching for a living, you know, I’m doing just like everybody else here. I think it gives me an insight that I wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.

On the subject of the city’s ethics code, Tumlin said he intends give it more teeth.

“Conflicts of interest is usually the main area you address and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.

The economy has seen many of Marietta’s most prominent redevelopment efforts stalled. Tumlin said his plan is to be ready to lure quality developers back to the city as soon as the economy turns. One thing Tumlin said he doesn’t want to see happen is to allow the foreclosed developments to backslide from quality developments to settling for second best.

The only change on council is that Councilman Johnny Sinclair replaced Holly Walquist, the latter of whom was not present at the meeting. Sinclair thanked both Walquist and Dunaway for their service. He said it was ironic that he campaigned against the $25 million parks bond that voters approved, but was now appointed by Tumlin to chair the Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Sinclair said he voted against the parks bond because he opposed a tax increase during a recession, but since voters approved the bond, he intends to support their wishes and work as hard as he can to ensure the funding is properly spent.

Also, “I really want to concentrate on quality of life issues. Obviously making Marietta a better place to live is important to me. I want to concentrate on business development, bringing new business to the city and I have a great interest real estate development,” he said.

Council unanimously approved Tumlin’s new committee appointments. For the most part, the same council members continue to chair the same committees they did under Dunaway. One change Tumlin 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 Dunaway.

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

And Tumlin appointed Councilman Rev. 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.

The city hosted a reception prior to the meeting to a packed crowd of well wishers. Among those who turned out were Cobb Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens and commissioners Tim Lee and Helen Goreham; Cobb school board member David Banks; Cobb Superior Court Judge Steve Schuster, Mary Ansley Southerland; Marietta school board members Randy Weiner, Irene Berens, and Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck; lobbyist Wallace Coopwood; Juanita Carmichael; Steve Imler; attorney Justin O’Dell; and Cobb Republican Party Chairman Scott Johnson.