New Atwater mayor, councilmen take oaths

There were a few new faces on the dais here Monday after the winners of the November election took their spots on the City Council.

Jim Price, 63, took his place on the dais as mayor next to new councilmen Brian Raymond, 33, and James Vineyard, 57. Longtime Mayor Joan Faul administered the oath of office to each.

Price succeeds 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 both opted not to seek another term in office.

Price said it’s “humbling” to get the support of the people of Atwater, and he promised to work hard for them. “It’s time we had a big, heaping dose of positive for the city and the people of Atwater,” he said.

Atwater came close to declaring bankruptcy a few years ago and continues to operate with a barely balanced budget.

During the race for the mayoral seat, Price, who is vice president of operations at Gemini Flight Support, said his top priority would be restoring staffing levels at the Police Department and finding ways to balance the city’s budget. “We have a tall mountain to climb,” Price said on Monday.

Price has said he’ll also push to have two council meetings a month and allow the public five minutes to comment. This year, the council voted to meet once a month and restrict the time for public comment.

Raymond, a former Livingston police officer and real estate agent, was the top vote-getter of the candidates for council, followed by Vineyard, a retired Fire Department captain.

Raymond took his seat on the dais while making a promise to voters. “This is your seat,” he said. “I will be accessible whenever you need me.”

In his opening remarks, Vineyard said the council would have to work together, “ask the tough questions” and make logical decisions. “I want to help get this city back on track where we were,” he said.

The city needs to move forward, he said, and can’t delay growth. “We have to stop kicking the bucket down the road,” he said.

The outgoing elected officials were given plaques for their time in service to the city.

Faul was first elected to the Atwater City Council in 2002. The retired educator became mayor in 2006 and ran uncontested in the following two elections.

“Truly, it’s been an honor to serve as your mayor for the last eight years,” she said.

The outgoing mayor took her final moments as the city’s top official to show support for the new council. “We are very fortunate in this community to have such good people willing to take on these positions,” she said.

After the oaths, the new council and mayor participated in a mingling session in the lobby of City Hall.

Among other items on the night’s agenda, the new council looked at taking action on the allocation of Redevelopment Agency funds for several downtown Atwater projects.

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 8:44 PM with the headline "New Atwater mayor, councilmen take oaths."