At a special meeting on Thursday, December 10, Arcata City Council’s newly-elected Councilmembers Stacy Atkins-Salazar, Emily Goldstein and Sarah Schaefer were sworn in to public office, and a new Mayor and Vice-Mayor were elected.
Before the formal swearing in, City staff took time to recognize and thank outgoing Councilmembers, Vice-Mayor Paul Pitino and Mayor Michael Winkler, for their years of service to the community.
“Mayor Winker has served Arcata for 22 years and Vice-Mayor Pitino has served our community for 17 years, and both of these Councilmembers are truly one of a kind. They have served with a passion and love for Arcata that will be felt for generations. I will miss the insight, wisdom and support they have provided through the years,” said City Manager Karen Diemer of their departure, and added, “I look forward to working with the new members of City Council and to hear what priority themes emerged from the input they received throughout their campaigns.”
After the formal swearing in, new members of the Council then elected Councilmember Sofia Pereira to be Mayor and Councilmember Brett Wason to serve as Vice-Mayor.
The City’s Municipal Code requires the Arcata City Council to select the mayor and vice-mayor annually at a special meeting held each December. Both Mayor Pereira and Vice-Mayor Watson will serve in their new roles for one year. The mayor of Arcata’s duties includes presiding at Council meetings, representing the Council at community events and performing other ministerial duties, and the vice-mayor will preside in the event of the mayor’s absence.
Of her appointment, Mayor Pereira said, “It is a privilege to serve the people of Arcata for the next year as Mayor. While our community has faced many challenges in 2020, I’m looking forward to tackling the work ahead of us in 2021 with our Vice-Mayor and new Councilmembers. We will continue to keep the people of Arcata front and center as we navigate this pandemic, fight the climate crisis and provide much-needed resources to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”
The next Arcata City Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 16. For more information on how to view the meeting or make public comment, click here.
Arcata City Council, pictured left to right: Vice-Mayor Watson, Councilmember Goldstein, Councilmember Atkins-Salazar, Councilmember Schaefer and Mayor Pereira.