Council Extends Jess Rivas’ Term as Vice Mayor

The City Council on Monday voted 6-0 to give Jess Rivas another one-year term as vice mayor.

Councilmembers Justin Jones and Rick Cole abstained.

The conversation pivoted to a City Charter amendment and racial hurts of the past as an effort was made to craft policy returning to the tradition that allowed the vice mayor to serve two-year terms despite Measure PB, which passed last year.

Eighty-five percent of the voters passed Measure PB which guaranteed a one-year term for the vice mayor and an annual organizational meeting.

Prior to that, most vice mayors served two-year terms.

“We told [the voters Measure PB] sets the term at a year,” said Jason Lyon. “It does. So I don’t think you’re in the position to override them and say that we’re going to make it a two-year term.”

Steve Madison agreed that the City Charter language could not be overwritten.

“It’d be hard for me to see council being bound by a policy that would contradict the City Charter if you have to have an election every year,” Madison said.

Neither Lyon nor Madison opposed re-appointing Rivas.

Madison’s concerns in 2022 led to a City Charter change when he said that experience should be a factor when the vice mayor is chosen.

Efforts to bring forth a motion that would allow Rivas to serve this year and then Jones to serve as vice mayor were shot down by the City Attorney.

In 2022, the City Council at one meeting voted to name Madison and Felicia Williams to serve one-year terms.

Mayor Victor Gordo and Councilmember Tyron Hampton said they planned to make and second a motion next year nominating Jones to the vice mayor position.

Efforts to add Jones’ name to the motion for a one-year term next December were shut down by City Attorney Michele Bagneris who said that City Charter language prevented it.

Steve Madison called the efforts to attach a name “political” which set off Hampton.

“I can’t speak for Councilmember Jones, but I can speak as a person who’s been here, who has seen historical wrongs happen to people that look like me and Councilmember Jones,” Hampton said. “He wants to make sure that he is in line, and I’m very much in support of his service because he does an amazing job as a councilmember.”

Despite the tradition allowing for two-year terms, neither Hampton nor Felicia Williams, the last two Black vice mayors, served two full years as vice mayor.

Hampton’s time as vice mayor was cut short due to COVID and a change in the City’s elections. He served 20 months.

Williams served just one year after Madison brought forth questions about how the vice mayor was chosen and experience required.

At that point, previous vice mayors averaged four years before serving as vice mayor. Williams was in her second year as a councilmember.

According to the City’s website, Measure PB was designed in part to provide more opportunities for councilmembers to serve as vice mayor.

The vice mayor position is ceremonial. The vice mayor attends events and presides over City Council meetings when the mayor cannot be present.

The vice mayor also introduces the mayor at the annual State of the City speech.

After a term for Jones was not placed in the motion, Cole abstained.

“I went through the election of our first African-American female mayor, and an effort was made to block her on a technicality that generated deep and abiding wounds,” said Cole.

Efforts to stop the election of Loretta Thompson Glickman in 1982 failed.

Thompson was the first African-American woman to serve as the City’s Mayor. She was the first female mayor in the country to lead a City with more than 100,000 residents.

“That shadows me is the sense of fairness and equity. I look forward to either one of these fine individuals serving us in the years ahead, but I’m just uncomfortable saying, well, we’ll boot this for a future consideration,” Cole said. “So that’s my discomfort. I’m not sure how to resolve it because we’ve been told we really can’t set any expectations here.”