Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A new mayor is sworn in Tuesday in North Charleston first time in nearly 30 years.
History in the making -- as Reggie Burgess is sworn in as the mayor of North Charleston
Officials from the city of North Charleston say they filled around 1,200 chairs for the ballroom, but welcomed all to witness the occasion. Burgess makes history as the first-ever Black mayor of North Charleston and its first new Mayor in almost 30 years.
Tammy McCottry hosted the inauguration ceremony, also on the program was the posting of the colors from the North Charleston Fire Department, an Invocation by Dr. Isaac Holt Jr. of Royal Missionary Baptist Church, the swearing-in of Council by Judge Mel Coleman, all leading up to the swearing-in of the Mayor by Judge Ittriss Jenkins.
One of the people in attendance was Coach Earl Davis. Davis coached 33 years of football and retired from Morgan State University in 2020. Davis taught Burgess in 1984 after Burgess was granted a scholarship to the university to play as a wide receiver on the football team.
Davis says Burgess embodies what it means to be a leader on and off the field and from his teammates to his professors, he was truly loved by all. Davis says since the moment he stepped on the field, all of the players respected him. He says Burgess embodied what it meant to be a leader.
At Morgan State, Burgess made his all-conference football team, All-American Black Conference, was voted third to become player of the year in the conference and ended up being Morgan State player of the year and participated in their 1987 bowl.
Davis says Burgess was an outstanding player and he always led by example. Davis says one of the biggest things he wanted to instill in Burgess was having great character and leading by example.
Davis shared that Burgess told him he couldn’t have completed all of his accomplishments without the guidance of his coach at Morgan State University, and he is looking forward to sharing this special moment with him.
“He was an outstanding player, I had the pleasure of coaching him and I couldn’t have asked for another young man, a better young man than him,” Davis says. “The way he was on the field he led by example.”
“I’m proud of Reggie, I talk about him all the time,” Davis says. “Becoming the first Black police chief of North Charleston, South Carolina and then end up being the first Black mayor. And when I look at people, I don’t look at color, but just having the opportunity and saying, you know with his leadership, his character is the thing that’s outstanding with him.”
Davis also said the president of Morgan State University, David Wilson, is sending a personal gift to Burgess that Coach Davis revealed before the ceremony. Burgess was sworn in at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Charleston Area Convention Center.
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