BLACK HAWK, Colo. -- A former Black Hawk city councilman who pleaded guilty last week to pistol-whipping his wife was sworn in Wednesday as town mayor after being selected to serve by the town council.

David Spellman entered the guilty plea to felony menacing and third-degree assault charges after police said he hit his wife in the head several times with a .380-caliber handgun and fired three shots, the Rocky Mountain News reported in its Wednesday editions.

The guilty plea came in a plea bargain in which more serious charges were dropped, including domestic violence, felony menacing, using a gun while drunk and recklessness with a gun, according to the newspaper.

The council vote for the new mayor was unanimous. Council members said there was no history of assault, and they were willing to give him a second chance.

"If there's a message in this, it's that if you engage in domestic violence in Black Hawk, you will be prosecuted no matter who you are," said Black Hawk spokesman, Chuck Ford. "The courts will sentence you and we will see that you live up to the sentence."

If Spellman completes his probation, the felony charge of menacing will be dropped.

The incident happened in 2005 and the couple has reconciled.

"We don't think it detracts from his ability to be mayor, and will probably, in the long run, make him a better human being," said Ford. "We're all fallible. We come from a very tight-knit, small community in Black Hawk. We're probably a little more willing than the average listener in Denver to forgive and give people a second chance."

Spellman's election by the six-member City Council came after the death last month of Kathern Eccker, who had served as mayor for the past 15 years.

Only 178 people live in Black Hawk, but the town is home to the largest limited-stakes gambling operation in the state.