Chandler becomes Lodi’s new mayor
Traditional rotation that would have made Mounce mayor bypassed
In a surprising vote made by the City Council on Monday night, Mark Chandler has become the new mayor of Lodi. A special Lodi City Council meeting was held Monday night at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie Forum. The meeting was held to recognize the election results from November and elect a new mayor.
Outgoing Mayor Alan Nakanishi thanked the council and city staff for their accomplishments and the strides made for the betterment of the town.
After City Clerk Jennifer M. Ferraiolo swore Mark Chandler, Doug Kuehne, and Alan Nakanishi into office, the vote for mayor commenced. Nakanishi nominated Mayor Pro Tempore JoAnne Mounce for mayor, but her nomination was not seconded by her peers forcing her to second the motion herself.
Mounce was sideswept by Councilman Mark Chandler who was nominated by Bob Johnson and seconded by Doug Kuehne to become the mayor.
A whisper of protest echoed in the room as members in the audience expressed their disapproval.
“It would have been more amicable if we had followed the rotation,” said Nakanishi.
Mounce has been passed over for the role of mayor once before in 2015, when the seat to mayor was also given to Chandler. Mounce stormed out of the hall visibly upset by the events that had transpired.
As members of the community left the room, a few supporters stuck by to let the council members know they were appalled by the decision to bypass Mounce. Despite their expressed frustration, the decision to name Mark Chandler as mayor and Doug Kuehne as mayor pro tempore passed.
The meeting began by honoring Lieutenant Jack Hargis of Lodi, who was killed when his B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down over a field in Belgium during World War II. His parachute failed to open. The Belgian consulate offered words of gratitude to Hargis’ family members, and provided a brief history of World War II and the impact that the U.S. made in shifting the outcome of the war.
The meeting continued by recognizing Adam Mettler for attaining the Winemaker of the Year Wine Star Award for 2018. Mettler is a fifth-generation winemaker, and upon receiving his award, motioned to the crowd where his family was gathered and thanked his family and recognized his children as the sixth generation of winemakers that will pass on the family tradition.
As Lodi City Manager Steve Schwabauer stood to address the crowd, he thanked the Belgian consulate for offering the perspective of war efforts abroad. He continued by thanking the citizens of Lodi for voting in favor of Measure L.
“Tonight certifies that across the council and 59 percent of Lodians, that they have voted to ensure that the city has the resources to continue to provide the services that we provide,” said Schwabauer.
Schwabauer also recognized the council’s effort to sustain the city’s water supply by voting to add a carbon water filtration system to combat contaminated water from affecting Lodi’s residents.
“There is much that the city has accomplished by this council,” said Schwabauer.