Tom Beck Mayor of Arcadia

Breaking with tradition, the new majority of the Arcadia City Council voted first-term Council Member Tom Beck to serve as Mayor for the next year instead of Mayor Pro Tem Roger Chandler.

Mayor Tom Beck

Also at the ceremonial changing of the guard Tuesday evening at City Hall Council Chambers, newly-elected Council Member Peter Amundson was voted to be Mayor Pro Tem. Amundson was previously a Mayor and served two consecutive four-year terms before being termed out two years ago.

April Verlato and Peter Amundson are sworn in as members of the Arcadia City Council by newly-elected City Clerk Gene Glasco.

Both were voted in unanimously amongst the five members of the Council but not until Beck’s fellow first-time/first-term Council Member Sho Tay dutifully nominated Chandler to be Mayor even though it was obvious that he would not have a third vote among Beck and the two newly-sworn-in Council Members, Amundson and April Verlato. Chandler and Tay found themselves over the past year or two aligning against the wishes of residents seeking restrictions on the building of mansions, led in large part by Verlato as a resident. Beck and Amundson were more aligned with the movement to slow development.

If not unprecedented, the Mayor Pro Tem has been voted in as the next Mayor almost as a matter of protocol every year for many, many years. Tay pointed out this tradition when making his nomination out of respect for Chandler and normal procedure, even though he seemed to know it was futile. Chandler, also clearly recognizing that the votes among the Council were not going to be in his favor, respectfully declined Tay’s nomination before a vote was taken. In his public remarks, Amundson said Chandler’s decision was one of the classiest things he had ever seen in his years on the City Council.

The selection of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem came after many presentations of appreciation to Mayor Gary Kovacic from local and state officials and local civic groups. He is termed out for the second time — he has served two eight-year stints since 1996. The 64 year-old Kovacic said he will leave open the option of running again in two years. In a sweet moment to open the meeting, Kovacic’s mother led the audience in the pledge of allegiance.

Former Mayor Mickey Segal, who also stepped down as a member of the Council Tuesday after filling in for the past six months, was presented a poem by Kovacic. Segal said he was pleased he was able to accomplish the two goals he had when he agreed to serve the past six months: to revise the residential zoning code, and to help defeat Measure A.

— By Scott Hettrick