New Atwater mayor, council members to be sworn in

A new mayor and two council members will be sworn in during an Atwater City Council meeting Monday, opening a new chapter for the city’s government.

Jim Price, 63, will take his seat on the dais as mayor, along with City Council members-elect Brian Raymond, 33, and James Vineyard, 57.

Price will succeed longtime mayor Joan Faul, 73, who lost by nearly 20 percentage points in the midterm elections Nov. 4. Raymond and Vineyard will replace Councilmen Craig Mooneyham and Jeff Rivero, who opted not to seek another term in office.

Raymond, a former Livingston police officer and real estate agent, was the top vote-getter with 34 percent of the vote, followed by Vineyard with about 29 percent.

The City Council meeting will begin at its regular time with the old council at the dais. There will be no public comment period, but the council will vote to certify the election results. Following the vote, the outgoing council members and mayor will give parting speeches.

The new council and mayor will then be sworn in, followed by a reception in City Hall with light refreshments. The meeting will reopen with Price presenting a plaque to Faul for her years of service, followed by the City Council continuing the meeting as usual.

Among other items, the new council will consider taking action on the allocation of Redevelopment Agency funds for several downtown Atwater projects.

The City Council meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the chambers inside City Hall, 750 Bellevue Road in Atwater.

This story was originally published December 7, 2014 at 5:09 PM with the headline "New Atwater mayor, council members to be sworn in."