There is a choreography to the way that the Walnut Creek City Council makes the transition from one mayor to another.

If the dancers follow the steps, late on Tuesday, Dec. 6, Mayor Pro Tem Bob Simmons will be the next mayor of Walnut Creek for a one-year term. Cindy Silva will be a council member and an ex-mayor.

The choreography is written into the council's rules and procedures, with the relevant passage of rules presented at the bottom of this story.

The point to remember is that, even with the succession spelled out in the rules and procedures, the succession could be upset by political skulduggery — a majority of three could change those rules and procedures at the last minute.

Still, Simmons is a mayor in waiting. On Dec. 6, the council is due to pick a new mayor and then a new mayor pro tem (in Latin, "mayor for a time," meaning the next one in succession). With the rules in place now, the new mayor would be Simmons and the new mayor pro tem would be council member Kish Rajan, who would presumably become mayor a year from now.

Who Is Bob Simmons?

It is typical of Bob Simmons that, when the editor of Walnut Creek Patch asked for an interview, he responded: Would you like to go for a hike? Simmons, the former president of the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, likes to walk and talk at the same time. He is an enthusiastic member of a hiking club and an apt guide to the mountain trails of the East Bay.

He was proud to show off Acalanes Ridge with its views of Mount Diablo and Rossmoor and the Sacramento Delta.

Simmons was proud of the way the cities of Walnut Creek and Lafayette, the Muir Heritage Land Trust and the East Bay Regional Parks District collaborated a couple of years ago to preserve the ridge as forever wild. That process won the cities, the park district and the land trust the award for Outstanding Collaborative Project from the Contra Costa Council in its award ceremony earlier this month.

Up along the ridge, Simmons showed the place where the baby blue eyes blossom in April. He showed a buckeye tree that is the first to drop its leaves in July. He knew where a hidden waterfall will emerge after a few days of winter rain.

We sat on top of the ridge and talked. We were amused by a hang glider who found a whisper of wind, enough to ride a few hundred feet along the ridgeline. A couple of hikers and a dog came hoofing up the trail and — lo and behold — one was Lafayette City Manager Steve Falk. He was introduced to me and immediately provided a testimonial: "The acquisition of that hill would not have happened without Bob Simmons' leadership."

After Falk strode off, Simmons waved off the hyperbole. It was a collaboration, he said.

Biography

Simmons, 63, was elected to the council in 2008. He grew up and went to college in Wisconsin. In 2004, he retired as a regional attorney for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, supervising 25 lawyers in three states. He still works one day a week as a civil mediator in Contra Costa County Superior Court.

In Walnut Creek, he has been a literacy and library volunteer, youth sports coach and president of the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation. He has been trained and was recently certified as a master gardener in the county.

He is married to Judy, and they have two adult sons, Paul and Mike, both of whom graduated from Northgate High.

There are biographical details on the city website and Simmons' 2008 campaign site.

"How I view myself as mayor is someone who listens well, is collaborative in his approach to decision making, who — when he is done with his time on the council — will want to look back and say, 'I think I've had a positive effect on people and on the community,'" said Simmons.

He said he appreciates his fellow council members as "intelligent, thoughtful people who want to do what's best for Walnut Creek."

Incoming mayors sometimes come with a theme. Last year, new Mayor Cindy Silva announced the year of the volunteer in Walnut Creek. Simmons said he has a theme in mind, but he is keeping it under wraps for now — because becoming mayor is not a sure thing and "out of respect for the mayor right now." He's vetting the idea with other city leaders.

When he is (presumably) mayor a year from now, Simmons will face re-election as a council member. He said he is leaning toward running again, but "it's too early to say I am running."

Simmons is mayor pro tem now because he was the top vote-getter in 2008.

Following are the relevant passages in the Council Rules and Procedures:

2.    Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
The mayoral rotation system established by this rule can be changed at any time by a council majority vote. There are five council members, each of whom is either elected or appointed to the council. Each council member, regardless of whether elected or appointed, has an equal opportunity to serve as mayor. At a minimum, a council member will serve as mayor once every five years. Because council members have four-year terms of office, a council member may not be able to serve as mayor in a four-year period. Each council member has a specified position in the rotation sequence. In any year, the first person in the sequence shall be selected as mayor, the second in the sequence as mayor pro tem. After serving as mayor, a council member goes to the end of the rotation sequence, and the other four council members move forward in the sequence. If a council member leaves office, the other council members move forward in the sequence. A council member’s position in the sequence relative to other council members may not change except by council majority vote. When a new council member is elected or appointed, that council member goes to the fifth position in the rotation, after all incumbents. If two or more new council members are elected at the same time, the number of votes received in the election determines the position in the rotation sequence, with the new council member receiving the highest number of votes being first among the new members. Within 60 days of the election or appointment of a new council member or members, the council will approve an updated mayoral rotation sequence.

At the first meeting in December each year, the Council shall elect one of its members as mayor and one as mayor pro tem. The election of the mayor and mayor pro tem shall be by vote of a majority of members of the Council. The mayor shall be seated and assume the duties of presiding officer immediately following the election of mayor and before the election of the mayor pro tem, unless a motion is carried to elect and seat the mayor and mayor pro tem at the same time.