Who will be Moraga's next mayor? Your guess is as good as ours. Usually, the vice-mayor becomes the mayor the following year; but the current vice-mayor, Howard Harpham, did not run for re-election this year. To add to the confusion, during the last election of a mayor and vice-mayor, the town's long tradition of elevating members of the town council to the mayor's seat according to the number of votes they received in the general election was broken. At the council's Dec. 12 meeting two new members will take their seats and a new mayor will be selected.
Before you break out your crystal ball, here are a few points to consider:
In Moraga you can't be mayor two times in a row-so it won't be Mayor Mike Metcalf again in 2013.
It seems unlikely that one of the two rookies, Phillip Arth or Roger Wykle, would be chosen -their experience of public affairs is too limited, although Wykle has served on the Planning Commission for three years.
That leaves Ken Chew and Dave Trotter most likely to be mayor. After Trotter's turn was passed up last year when Karen Mendonca nominated Howard Harpham as vice-mayor, the council adopted a non-binding notation: "The Town desires to fairly rotate the offices of Mayor and Vice Mayor of the Town Council among the five members of the Council." Since Chew was the mayor in 2010 and Trotter in 2009, we predict that in 2013 it will be Mayor Trotter and Vice-Mayor Chew.
But the Moraga Town Council has proven itself capable of surprising even its most dedicated observers.
Before you break out your crystal ball, here are a few points to consider:
In Moraga you can't be mayor two times in a row-so it won't be Mayor Mike Metcalf again in 2013.
It seems unlikely that one of the two rookies, Phillip Arth or Roger Wykle, would be chosen -their experience of public affairs is too limited, although Wykle has served on the Planning Commission for three years.
That leaves Ken Chew and Dave Trotter most likely to be mayor. After Trotter's turn was passed up last year when Karen Mendonca nominated Howard Harpham as vice-mayor, the council adopted a non-binding notation: "The Town desires to fairly rotate the offices of Mayor and Vice Mayor of the Town Council among the five members of the Council." Since Chew was the mayor in 2010 and Trotter in 2009, we predict that in 2013 it will be Mayor Trotter and Vice-Mayor Chew.
But the Moraga Town Council has proven itself capable of surprising even its most dedicated observers.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA