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Jonathon Kennedy Sr. has regularly attended Forest Heights Town Council meetings for more than 30 years, since moving to the town in 1980, but he noticed something different about Monday night's session.

"It's the first time I laughed and other people in the audience laughed," Kennedy said, the father of Councilman Jonathon W. Kennedy II (Ward 2), after Mayor Jacqueline E. Goodall's first full meeting since her swearing-in ceremony March 16.

"It's a lot better run than it has been for a long, long time, and I can only hope and pray it continues as such."

At Monday's session, the council seemed to have moved past the fierce infighting that has plagued the town of 2,500 residents over the years and contributed to the ousting of three recent mayors, including Goodall's predecessor, Andrea McCutcheon.

"We're all working together, and we've all decided that we're going to move forward," Goodall said.

McCutcheon was suspended in January after the council determined she violated the town's charter when she failed to turn in a required financial report on time and administered employee bonuses without council approval. She lost her bid for re-election in the town's March 9 elections.

The meeting marked tangible changes as well. Goodall introduced the town's new administrator, council parliamentarian and acting treasurer, positions meant to bolster transparency and efficiency — concepts called for by residents.

The administrator, Vern Haefele, will make sure the town stays on track in its day-to-day business. Haefele, who moved to Forest Heights from Tennessee after spending nearly a decade serving different municipalities' administrations, said Forest Heights can move forward with direction.

"Planning is the most important aspect, and communication is very, very important as well — communication with the citizens and communication amongst the council members," said Haefele, who started work Monday. He will earn $72,000, Goodall said.

Parliamentarian Freddie Colston, a Forest Heights resident, will make sure the council stays on track.

"I live here and I've attended some of the meetings, and the meetings would be too long and argumentative," said Colston, a professional registered parliamentarian who will earn $200 per month in his new position after being hired Monday night. "They'd be arguing, and I said there's a better way of doing this, so I'm going to start giving workshops to the council to show them how to conduct Robert's Rules of Order [town meeting regulations], how to make the motions correctly, how to debate."

Colston's goal is to keep meetings less than two hours. Previous administrations were criticized for running lengthy meetings that discouraged residents from participating.

"After two hours, you start losing your audience. Your brain starts going dead, you get bored and you leave," Colston said. "What you want is a sharp mind and you want people to attend the meetings."

Goodall addressed the meeting-length issue by restricting day-of adjustments that council members can make to the meeting agenda.

Jonathon Kennedy Sr. said he likes Goodall's move to disallow agenda changes after 2 p.m. on the day of a meeting.

"I do like the fact that they have the minutes ready and are not wasting a half-hour to an hour arguing about what they are going to put on it," he said.

Goodall also responded to calls for increased transparency by having acting Treasurer Leittia Vaughn and acting Police Chief Frank Webb Jr. deliver reports about the town's finances and crime. The new mayor said the reports will be delivered regularly. The town's former treasurer was criticized for not being forthcoming with the town's finances.

Councilman Kennedy said he thinks the governing body has turned a corner.

Despite common perception, Kennedy said, "We're not a circus."

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