Council postpones decision on mayor

All four members of the Crescent City Council present at the Nov. 1 meeting voted to postpone the selection of a new mayor and mayor pro tempore to allow Councilmember Beau Smith to tend to a recent family passing.

The matter was postponed to November 15, at which point the full council will hear a recommendation from city staff, receive public input and motions will be made to fill the governing positions.

The mayor and mayor pro tempore are chosen annually by a majority vote of the council, and the offices are taken at the beginning of the following meeting.

The mayor presides over meetings of the city council, and the mayor pro tempore takes on that responsibility in the mayor’s absence.

Additionally, the mayor and mayor pro tempore are authorized signers on any bank or financial institution accounts held by the city, along with the city manager and finance director. The mayor also makes appointments to boards, commissions and committees with council approval, and signs all documents that require an official signature unless the city manager has been authorized to sign such documents.

Monday’s postponement followed requests from members of the public to allow Smith to be with family as they mourn the untimely passing of his daughter.

“The election of the mayor of this community is pivotal and has far reaching consequences to the city and the community,” stated Thomas Barnes in a pre-submitted letter, but who also made the request in person.

“I too know how painful it can be to a family to lose a child,” said Donna Westfall.

At the end of the meeting, council members expressed their condolences to Smith and his family.

“I appreciate the sentiments that the public has shared for Councilmember Smith tonight,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Blake Inscore. “Beau asked me to share his appreciation to this community as a whole, to city staff and to those people who have reached out and gone that extra mile to make sure that he and the whole family know that the community cares.”

“My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family as they are dealing with this very difficult situation,” agreed Mayor Jason Greenough.

Bicycles Donated by Walmart

Prior to adjournment of the meeting, Chief Richard Griffin announced that Walmart donated 17 bicycles, varying in sizes, and that he will be asking Crescent City officers how best to donate them to members of the community.

“Two of those bicycles have already been donated to the California Highway Patrol - Officer Gonzalez had something going on with a local school,” said Griffin.

“We didn’t have a lot of ideas, but one idea is the coloring contest over Christmas time and the top five getting a new bicycle,” Griffin said.

“That’s going to be a great opportunity,” said Mayor Greenough.