Letters to the Editor 8-31-23
Don’t do it Dear ER: This is an open letter to the Hermosa Beach City Council. It concerns Hermosa Beach’s practice of rotating Mayor, and Mayor Pro Tem positions, a tradition dating back to the city’s founding in 1907. Every elected council member is voted by the council to serve as Mayor Pro Tem, and then at the next rotation, to become mayor for the following 10 to 11 months, before stepping down to be a council person again. Every elected council person goes through this same rotation four times during their four year term. Now there is concern that this council is not going to respect precedent when the rotation vote comes before the council at its September 12 meeting. Under the usual rotation, Council Member Justin Massey would be voted Mayor, replacing current mayor Raymond Jackson; and Dean Francois would be voted Mayor Pro Tem. This tradition has been respected, dating back to 1907, even when the five council members have been divided. The only exception was in 2019 when the council did not allow Councilman Hany Fangary to become Mayor Pro tem. He resigned shortly thereafter and moved out of the City. It was an ugly moment in Hermosa’s history. The people who elect their…
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