Atherton council members chose Rick DeGolia to be the town's new mayor, and Elizabeth Lewis to serve as vice mayor, for 2020 at the Dec. 18 City Council meeting.
DeGolia, who joined the council in 2013 and whose current term ends in 2022, held the vice mayor chair this year.
DeGolia was passed the gavel on Dec. 18 by Bill Widmer, who served as mayor in 2019.
Widmer nominated DeGolia for the mayor's post, and DeGolia nominated Lewis for her position.
"It is a genuine honor to represent the town of Atherton and all of our residents," DeGolia at the meeting. "I think that you know that I put a lot into this."
DeGolia thanked his fellow council members, City Manager George Rodericks, and his wife for their support and hard work.
He outlined eight of his goals for the upcoming year, including improving safety on streets and reducing congestion, continuing the town's conservative fiscal management, and closely monitoring the town's $31.6 million new civic center project to ensure that it remains on time and on budget.
DeGolia plans to hold office hours in Atherton's Holbrook-Palmer Park from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays to meet with the public.
Lewis' term ends in the coming year -- December 2020. Council member Cary Wiest's term will also end next year.
The mayor and vice mayor serve one-year terms that are effective on the day and time the council reorganization takes place.
During the same meeting, the City Council voted to hire Mona Ebrahimi, of the law firm
Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard, to provide the town's city attorney services.
And the council honored outgoing City Attorney Bill Conners and Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Larson that night. Conners is retiring from his post on Dec. 31.
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Comments
Atherton: other
on Dec 23, 2019 at 3:00 pm
on Dec 23, 2019 at 3:00 pm
Is it hopeless to get some new blood involved in the town council government? Thanks to all who have served so long, but we seriously need some fresh perspectives.
Registered user
Atherton: Lindenwood
on Dec 23, 2019 at 8:18 pm
Registered user
on Dec 23, 2019 at 8:18 pm
Of all the communities in which I have lived Atherton is unique - for the vast majority of Atherton residents the Town government is so irrelevant that no one has even bothered to challenge the incumbent council members over the last eight years. As a consequence none of the five members of the Town Council have been elected by the citizens to their current term of service.
Without elections there is no accountability.
We get the government that we deserve.