City Council foregoes naming mayor pro tem

Pacific Grove has done away with the position, at least for the time being, to unite the council.

PACIFIC GROVE >> The age- old tradition of choosing a mayor pro tempore certainly doesn’t have the luster of a mayoral election; after all, the words are a Latin phrase which best translates to “for the time being,” not exactly the words you’d want emblazoned on a business card.

In questioning its relevance, Pacific Grove has done away with the position, at least for “the time being.”

Newly elected City Councilman Luke Coletti brought the idea forward that questioned the need for a mayor pro tem, whose sole function is to stand in temporarily when the mayor is unable to carry out his or her role.

“It’s a bit ironic and maybe unfortunate that one of the first things a council does is to establish an unnecessary hierarchy among six council members,” Coletti said during the Dec. 9 council meeting. “There is no position outlined in the city charter for a mayor pro tem. It was never meant to be a standing position.”

Councilwoman Jenny McAdams, in agreeing with Coletti’s view, said it would be an awkward beginning to the new council working together, particularly when she is advocating a more united council.

Instead, she advanced the possibility of assigning the title to a council member on a rotating basis — one council member acting as the mayor pro tem for a specific amount of time and then handing the baton off to the next council member, much like how elected officials in Monterey name their mayor pro tem, which this year went to Monterey Councilman Tyller Williamson.

In Carmel, Mayor Dave Potter selected Councilman Bobby Richards as vice mayor, which is effectively the same position as a mayor pro tem.

“Starting off with competition by asking our colleagues to vote for one of us may not be a positive start to our two years together,” she said. “This is a unique opportunity to not go with the status quo.”

Pacific Grove Councilman Chaps Poduri said his perspective is aligned with McAdams, noting that a rotational selection would allow all six council members to “build their skill set in the position,” while not being locked into one single member holding the title.

“The mayor and the mayor pro tem could both be absent,” he said. “Who knows?”

Bill Peake, the actual mayor, said there is no added authority to the title, and laughingly said there seems to be a mystery surrounding the role, including how to pronounce “mayor pro tempore.”

“It’s a cool title but as far as I know the pay is the same and the hours are the same and the number of votes on the council are the same,” he said. “It would be temporary if I’m out of the picture, and I don’t plan to be out of the picture, by the way.”

Councilwoman Jill Tom

linson also noted the decisive nature of the process right at the beginning of a newly seated City Council. She said she noticed the mayor pro tem has attended more staff meetings and a rotation would allow the opportunity for all the council members to gain that experience.

“I don’t see the need to designate a mayor pro tem until the time when Mayor Peake is sick or has to go out of town and that has

never happened,” she said.

Councilman Nick Smith said he wanted to make sure the council was on firm legal ground if it decided to forego naming a mayor pro tem. City Attorney David Laredo confirmed it was and that in the event of any absence of the mayor the council could make choosing a mayor pro tem the first order of business at a council meeting.

“I don’t think the mayor

pro tem should be elevated above the other council members in the sense that they should not have meetings that other council members do not have regular access to,” Smith said.

But perhaps it was Councilman Joe Amelio who summed up many thoughts along the dais.

“Be there Mayor Peake. Always be there.”