The Glendora City Council last Tuesday night appointed the next mayor during the annual Council reorganization.
Photo courtesy of Gene Murabito.
Gene Murabito was nominated to serve as mayor for the next year by Council member Judy Nelson.
Murabito last served as mayor during 2012-13.
Glendora annually rotates each council member’s position, with members choosing to nominate the position of mayor. If more than one is nominated, they then take a vote to decide the next Mayor. Murabito was the only nominated candidate Tuesday evening.
The mayor is not directly elected by the voters. The mayor is the presiding officer of the council and while carrying out multiple duties to oversee each meeting, the mayor’s vote does not carry more weight than other council members.
Murabito provided a statement to GCN:
“First, I want to thank Karen Davis for her service as Mayor this past year. The leadership and dignity she has shown as Mayor is appreciated by all in the community.
As I mentioned at our council meeting last evening, the Mayor tends to be a little more visible and vocal in the community, and an additional layer of responsibility comes with the position. Yet at the end of the day each of our 5 Council Members has one vote and each vote is equal. So we must continue to work together to represent our community.
There are a number of important issues that I will continue to focus on as my year as Mayor progresses.
1. Fiscal Challenges. Glendora came out of the most recent recession in good fiscal health. Moving forward, we must maintain strong fiscally conservative policies. There will always be downturns in the economy and we can’t lose sight of the fact that our General Fund Reserve helps navigate us through down periods.
2. Storm Water. We must continue to educate our residents and our elected leaders on the impacts this mandate will have on our community. We need to continue the work with our State and Federal leaders to come up with reasonable solutions, otherwise the cost impact of compliance will cripple not just Glendora but the entire LA County.
3. Foothill Gold Line: The Gold Line Train must continue East from Azusa to Claremont and Montclair, and eventually a connection to the Ontario Airport. We can’t be satisfied with it stopping at our western border. As Vice-Chair of the Foothill Gold Line JPA, this will continue to be a priority.
4. Economic Development: Glendora needs more businesses in order to remain financially sound. With the announcements that Sprouts, Chick-Fil-A and Sports Authority are coming to our community, we are starting to see the results of our Council and Staff’s commitment to this issue. Glendora will continue to seek out these opportunities and create a business-friendly environment. I look forward to the completion or of Arrow Highway Specific Plan and the revision of our Route 66 Specific Plan and Economic Analysis to see what the future holds for us.
The next 12 months will be exciting, will go by quickly, and as always we have a lot of work to do. I want to remind our community members that you all play an important role in good governance. By participating in our city boards, committees and our City Council meetings you help shape our decisions and the future of Glendora.”
Gene Murabito
***This story corrects a previous version which inaccurately stated Karen Davis nominated Murabito.
