Although New Years Day generally represents a fresh start for people all over the world, it’s particularly true today for a few Clevelanders today (Monday, January 1, 2018), as five new council members were sworn in during a special ceremony..Last November’s hotly contested election resulted in a sizable turnover in Ward representation and made way for the following Council members:  • Former Councilman Joe Jones returns to City Council after defeating Terrell Pruitt in Ward 1 by a margin of eight votes. • Kevin Bishop, topped nine other candidates, including a write-in, to capture Zack Reed’s open Ward 2 seat.  • Basheer Jones, narrowly defeated TJ Dow in the official count for Ward 7 to become the first Muslim ever elected to council. • Anthony Hairston, topped nine other candidates in a race to capture Jeff Johnson’s Ward 10 seat.  • Jasmin Santana, defeated Ward 14 Councilman Brians Cummins to become the first Hispanic woman elected to City Council.