Erik Yabor/Times-EnterpriseHoward Thrower was sworn in as Cairo mayor Monday night.

CAIRO — The City of Cairo is not without a mayor any longer after Howard Thrower was sworn in Monday evening in a ceremony attended by about a dozen spectators.

Thrower said at the conclusion of Monday’s city council meeting that he’s looking forward to working with the council and representing the city his family has lived in for five generations. Cairo has a “very good council” and “some very sharp people” working for the city, the new mayor said.

“I’m going to make it fun to work with them,” he said. “We’re just not going to have anything other than taking care of Cairo’s city issues, and enjoying it while we’re doing it.”

Prior to being sworn in, a prayer was read by Rev. Christy Bandy of Cairo First United Methodist Church, where Thrower attends services regularly. A second invocation was then read by Pastor Delise Cox of Beulah Baptist Church following the ceremony.

“My first official duty is to the Lord,” Thrower said.

The 69-year-old retiree then led the council through his first official meeting, which he said went “great.”

“Working with these commissioners is very easy,” he said. “We have a lot of talent.”

In one of his first activities as mayor, Thrower plans meet Wednesday morning with Grady County Joint Development Authority executive director Julian Brown and Downtown Development Authority director Alyssa Blakley to discuss plans for downtown Cairo.

The new mayor also thanked Mayor pro tem Jerry Cox for having served as the city’s chief executive for the past three months — a sentiment that was shared by the rest of the council members present.

“It’s easy to do the job when you’ve got the staff and support that we have in this city and on this council,” Cox said. “I’m certainly glad to have Howard get in that chair.”