In a unanimous vote, Marilynn Poe was selected as Los Alamitos mayor for 2010 by her fellow city council members during a meeting Monday, Dec. 7.
Council member Gerri Mejia nominated Poe, who spent the last year as mayor pro tem, with Troy Edgar seconding the motion. Ken Stephens was selected as the new mayor pro tem after council member Dean Zarkos nominated Stephens with Edgar again seconding.
Poe is also chair of the Los Alamitos Museum Board of Directors. She had been mayor twice previously during a 12-year span.
Poe replaces Edgar as mayor. Edgar was selected as mayor back in March after council member Dean Grose resigned and a reorganization took place. The reorganization is an annual event normally scheduled for the first meeting in December.
During a year in review talk, Edgar said he hoped the council was able to meet the public’s expectations. He admitted he took over after an unfortunate situation and wanted to bring back stability to the council. He thanked council members for giving him the opportunity to serve. During his time as mayor, he guided the city through the hiring of a new city manager and interim city attorney as well as the replacement of a councilmember. Doing all of these things in house, and not using a search firm, saved the city an estimated $130,000.
During the last year, the council has also had to deal with making more than $500,000 in mid-year cuts. Without the work of city staff and some deep budget reductions, the city would have been in dire straits, Edgar said. The council itself took a cut in its monthly stipend and revised its travel policy to save the city money.
He also worked with other city and area leaders in finding a peaceable solution to the smell permeating from the composting program at the Joint Forces Training Base.
Fellow council members thanked Edgar for his leadership over the last several months. “We had a mayor that works for us and with us,” Stephens said. “(Edgar) represented the city to the highest standard.”
In her remarks, Poe said Edgar downplayed his role as mayor this year. “I’ve been mayor twice and I couldn’t hold a candle to what he’s done this year,” Poe said. “Trying to fill his shoes will be difficult.”
Poe called 2010, the city’s 50th anniversary, a “year of celebration.” Poe knows, however, that there are some challenges ahead for the city. “We’ll have fun but we will have challenges ahead,” Poe said. “The council and I want to make sure that we keep Los Alamitos the wonderful community that it is.”
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 21.
