Washington City Council welcomed one new member and two familiar faces in their first meeting of the new year. Businessman Joe Pintola was sworn in as councilman, taking over for the departed Monda Williams. Pintola thinks his ownership of a business and real estate in the city will prove valuable to his position. Councilman Ken Westcott was sworn in again as was Mayor Scott Putnam. Putnam wants to continue his fight against blight. He also would like to see homeownership in the city increase. He is looking to sponsor homebuyer programs in an effort to bring a larger home owner base to the city. Currently, the city has a 57% landlord base of property owners. Also sworn into their positions on Monday were Nick Dubina as Controller and Anthony Nicolella as Treasurer.