Becoming the second mayor of Westfield, Scott Willis was sworn in by Judge Stephenie Gookins, Hamilton County Superior Court 6, at a ceremony Jan. 5 at the Bridgewater Club.

“We’re here this afternoon to recognize a pivotal moment in Westfield history,” District 4 councilmember Patrick Tamm said. “When a marine talks to you about how you can give back to the community, it’s truly a meaningful conversation.”

After taking the oath of office while his wife Stacey held the Bible, Willis addressed a crowd of around 100 at a private event.

Willis talked about memories of watching his grandfather, who served for years as the Howard County surveyor. He also talked about his first experience running for state senate in 2016 and how he kept working hard at the campaign even though it was likely he would lose the race.

“I want my kids to see that anything you pursue in life, win or lose, you put everything into it,” Willis said. “I’m a marine, and I charge the hill, and I won’t stop until I get to the top.”

He talked about the journey from deciding that he wanted to run for mayor to getting elected. He conducted 88 coffee chats in two years and knocked on 6,000 doors.

“Behind the scenes he has been working his tail off,” Kurt Wanninger said, referring to not only Willis’ work prior to getting elected, but also to his work since the election to make sure the council and staff were ready to step into office.

Willis expressed his thanks to everyone who supported him and said he looks forward to serving with the council members and to working for “60,000” bosses, who are the people of Westfield.

“I guarantee you I am going to put everything into this position,” he said.