This is Hawkins-Manuelian's first term as mayor, having served as vice mayor since December 2022. She was first elected to the City Council in 2020 with 25.77% of the vote in a tight four-way race for two council slots.
Hawkins-Manuelian has lived in Atherton for 30 years and prior to running for City Council, worked in media development and as a consultant.
She holds a doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and a postdoctoral degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"I'd like to thank all my council members for allowing me to serve," Hawkins-Manuelian said.
The new mayor outlined her priorities shortly after being officially sworn in, which include crafting housing solutions for Atherton and getting mandated housing element plans authorized by the state.
Other priorities include focusing on emergency preparedness as well as creating the first community survey since 2013 to better understand residents' needs.
For the position of vice mayor, the council unanimously voted to appoint Elizabeth Lewis, who has served the town since 2008 in various positions including three terms as mayor.
Lewis served as a member of the General Plan Committee for Atherton prior to joining the council.
Widmer thanked his wife and fellow council members as well as the residents of Atherton for "the honor and the confidence you placed in me," adding it had been a pleasure working with other local mayors and public servants.
"My statement is 'Goodbye, goodbye,'" Widmer joked during his remarks at the meeting. "It's been a pleasure doing this. I think every council mayor loves to be the mayor."
Widmer listed what he viewed as successes during the year under his term, including awarding a contract to construct a "mini" train museum and banning of gas-powered leaf blowers starting in June 2024. However, he noted that he wished the housing element had been approved by the state.
The town has grappled with the challenge of addressing its housing element. During last year's meeting, then outgoing council member Bob Polito, acknowledged the difficulty in meeting the requirement of constructing 348 housing units to fulfill the state's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) program for the 2023-31 cycle.
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