Lawson Asks Silva To Take Mayoral Reins Next Year

Assuming the City Council approves the motion at a meeting this year, Cindy Silva, who served as Walnut Creek mayor in 2011, will once again wield the gavel in 2013.

The council rotates the mayoral seat, and it went from Silva to the current mayor, Bob Simmons, who just won reelection to the council. It was due to go to Kish Rajan next, but in September he accepted a job as the first director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development in Sacramento, and though he was on the ballot, did not choose to seek reelection. The mayor pro tem, or next in line, was Gary Skrel, who chose not to seek reelection this year. 

That meant Kristina Lawson, who was due to take the gavel herself in 2014, got pushed up the line to be mayor in 2013. But at the last council meeting on Nov. 5, she asked Silva to take the mayorship "for a variety of reasons." Lawson expanded on that for Walnut Creek Patch two days later.

"It's not that I can’t do it or don’t want to do it," she said. "I was three back in that rotation. There is no one specific reason, but I asked to be kept in the spot that I had been planning for. Cindy's in a good position to lead us through the initial phase of our work plan, given her work on the Blue Ribbon Task Force. I’ll be serving as her mayor pro-tem." 

That means, barring any more surprises, resignations, or musical council chairs, Lawson will wield the gavel in 2014.