Bragman New Mayor; Hartwell-Herrero Vice-Mayor

The Fairfax Town Council elected Vice Mayor Larry Bragman as Mayor Wednesday night and Council Member Pam Hartwell-Herrero was elected Vice Mayor -- a position that traditionally rotates into the mayorship.

"It was a peaceful transition," joked Bragman.

Council Member David Weinsoff also explained that a number of years ago he proposed an ordinance to formalize the succession process. Though that ordinance wasn't passed, the proposed process has largely been followed over the years: typically, each Vice Mayor becomes Mayor and all council members rotate through the mayorship as possible. Because both Hartwell-Herrero and Council Member John Reed were elected last November, Weinsoff said it was appropriate for Hartwell-Herrero to serve as Vice Mayor first, because she got the most votes. Reed made the nominations for both Bragman and Hartwell-Herrero.

A resolution was also presented to outgoing Mayor Lew Tremaine for his dedication and work. Bragman joked that it was "an electrifying year," in reference to Tremaine's work on the PG&E Smart Meter issue.

"It was not the year I thought it would be going in," said Tremaine. The Ross Valley School District expansion, which was originally proposed as a new K-5 school in Fairfax, took up a significant amount of time, he said, but paid off in the end.

Additionally, he said, the battle over PG&E's Smart Meters is not yet over.

Bragman gamely took up the mantle, saying that although the continuing economic downturn and the budget deficits Fairfax is facing will be a large problem in the coming year, that doesn't mean other goals should be set aside.

"We need to create that example," said Bragman.

Bragman said he hopes to foster a forum for intelligent and creative ideas and find solutions to the problems the town faces.

"So, let's get to work," he said.