Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 13, 2022
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY / HOUSING AUTHORITY / PUBLIC FINANCING AUTHORITY SUBMITTED BY: LUCINDA WILLIAMS, CITY CLERK
PREPARED BY: LUCINDA WILLIAMS, CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: MAYOR / CHAIR AND MAYOR PRO TEM / VICE CHAIR APPOINTMENT
SUMMARY
The City Council / Successor Agency / Housing Authority / Financing Authority selects a new Mayor / Chair and Mayor Pro Tem / Vice Chair on an annual basis.
RECOMMENDATION
1. City Attorney conduct nomination and selection for Mayor / Chair.
2. Mayor conduct nomination and selection for Mayor Pro Tem / Vice Chair.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Fiscal and Organizational Stability.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
DISCUSSION
Each December, the City Council / Successor Agency / Housing Authority / Financing Authority votes to appoint a Council / Agency / Authority Member to serve as Mayor / Chair and a Council / Agency / Authority Member to serve as Mayor Pro Tem / Vice Chair. The Mayor / Chair serves as the presiding officer during Council / Agency / Authority meetings and represents the City at various events. The Mayor Pro Tem / Vice Chair serves as presiding officer and represents the City in the Mayor’s / Chair’s absence.
City Council approved a new policy in October 2020 to appoint the Mayor / Chair and the Mayor Pro Tem / Vice Chair and to break a tie when two or more Council Members have equal seniority to become the Mayor Pro Tem. The October 2020 policy states that City Council will select the Mayor Pro Tem based on seniority according to the number of years a member has served consecutively on City Council without serving as Mayor. The Mayor Pro Tem shall automatically become Mayor the following year.
The policy states that in the event the Council Member scheduled to next serve as Mayor Pro Tem declines the appointment, the member will move to “second position” and the next most senior member will serve as Mayor Pro Tem. In the event a Mayor Pro Tem next scheduled to serve as Mayor chooses not to serve, the member shall continue to serve as Mayor Pro Tem and the next most senior member will serve as Mayor.
If voters elect two or more non-incumbent Council Members at the same municipal election, a random selection shall determine seniority.
The following table lists seniority of the current and incoming Council Members:
Council / Agency / Authority Member
Last Served as
Mayor / Chair
Years Served Without Serving As Mayor / Chair
Ahmad Zahra
n/a
4 Nick Dunlap
n/a
2 Bruce Whitaker
2021
1 Shana Charles*
n/a
0 Fred Jung
2022
0 *incoming
Based on the new Selection of Mayor Pro Tem Policy, Mayor Pro Tem Whitaker would serve as Mayor for the ensuing term per the policy.
Also based on the policy, Council Member Zahra would serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the ensuing term because he has served the most consecutive years on City Council without serving as Mayor.
While the rotation of City Council members is a policy designed to ease the transition of members into the Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor positions, nothing in the policy prohibits selection of a Mayor Pro Tem or Mayor based on the majority vote of the City Council.
A copy of the Mayor Pro Tem selection policy is attached for reference.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Selection of Mayor Pro Tem Policy
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Certify November 2022 Election
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