Mayor Salas takes office

It was standing room only in the Chula Vista City Council chamber Tuesday evening as mayor-elect Mary Salas, incumbent Pat Aguilar and newly elected councilman John McCann were sworn in to their respective offices.
Salas becomes the first Latina mayor in San Diego County after Chula Vista voters elected her to the position on Nov.4.

Salas leaves her council seat with two years remaining to take the city’s highest ranking position.

The mayor said her priorities include continuing building the city’s reserves, increasing the city’s influence on regional boards and completing unfinished projects such as bayfront development, the Millenia development project and the creation of a four-year university in Chula Vista.

She also had other ideas.

“We will and we must improve the job-housing balance in Chula Vista,” Salas said.

Aguilar returns for four more years in City Hall.

She touted the success of this year’s Starlight Parade which she and outgoing councilman Rudy Ramirez brought back.

She said the parade brought residents and the community together, something Aguilar said she will try to work on in her next term.

“What I want to do in the next four years … is to nurture that community spirit,” she said. “To encourage more people to get involved, to encourage neighbors to get to know one another better, to encourage all segments of the community — the City Council, the community groups, the businesses, the corporations, the developers — to participate in this community spirit.”

Former Sweetwater Union High School District board president John McCann will have his second go-round and third term in City Hall.

McCann’s race to the City Council dais was a close one, beating his opponent Steve Padilla by only two votes.

The completion of a prospective four-year university is one of McCann’s highest goals.

“We are going to make the university a reality,” he said.

“As a former adjunct college professor, I know what needs to be done.”

McCann also put the completion of the bayfront project at the top of his to-do list.

As the new administration comes in, the old moved out.

Former Mayor Cheryl Cox was officially termed out.

In her farewell speech she noted rebuilding the city’s financial mess as one of her highlights during her eight years in office. Cox mentioned how the city had to endure layoffs, reduced services and pension reform measures to survive the economic downturn.

“But today Chula Vista operates under a more sustainable financial plan,” she said.

Cox said Chula Vista has weathered the financial storm and now has a AA minus credit rating and more than 12 percent in reserves.

Outgoing councilman Rudy Ramirez took a reflective route and expressed some remorse during his two terms.

“I only really have one regret of my time here,” he said. “It was when I worked to strip (Councilwoman) Pamela (Bensoussan) of her deputy mayor position. Although I thought I could rationalize it, it was the wrong thing to do at the most unfortunate time for Pamela.”

He said since then he and Bensoussan have been able to make amends.

“Pamela and I have made peace with it, but I still regret the action,” he said.

Ramirez noted his success with the International Friendship Games, his contribution to civic engagement and the city’s continuous improvement program as items he was most proud of.

City Attorney Glen Googins was sworn in for his second term.