Monday night saw the final Healdsburg City Council meeting of the year, which got underway even as the official ribbon-cutting inauguration of the Foley Family Trust Community Pavilion continued across the street.
The evening’s agenda was relatively simple and forward-looking: Receive Fiscal Year 2025-26 City Council Goal Update, assign council members to regional advisory boards, and select the new mayor and vice mayor for the coming calendar year.
It would be an exaggeration to say all eyes were on that mayoral selection. It’s so standard as to be commonplace that the vice mayor is elevated to the mayor’s seat without much controversy, and Herrod has been a steady second to Mayor Evelyn Mitchell all year. Mitchell accepted the gratitude of the other council members and pointed to the multiple groundbreakings, proclamations and redistricting that occurred at least in part during her tenure.
Edwards nominated Chris Herrod as the mayor for the upcoming year, and with his second Hagele nominated Edwards to serve as vice mayor. Both acknowledged they would accept the positions, and the vote of the council was unanimous…