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San Luis Obispo County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
Measure E-10
Election of Mayor and Council
City of Atascadero
Ordinance - Majority Approval Required

Pass: 8562 / 83.54% Yes votes ...... 1687 / 16.46% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures
Results as of Nov 23 11:12am, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (15/15)
92.7% Voter Turnout (10249/11059)
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments |

Shall the electors elect a Mayor and four Council Members?

Impartial Analysis from Brian A. Pierik,
City Attorney
There are five City Council Members in the City of Atascadero.

Currently, one of the five Council Members serves as Mayor, who is selected by a majority vote of the Council. This procedure is authorized by Government Code Section 36801. However, upon a majority vote of the citizens of a city on a ballot measure, there can be a direct election of the mayor by voters pursuant to Government Code Sections 34900 -
34906.

A mayor elected by the voters is a member of the city council and has all of the powers and duties of a member of the city council. A mayor elected by the voters has the same powers as a mayor selected by a vote of the City Council. Government Code § 34903.

There are three measures on the ballot relating to the election of Mayor in the City of Atascadero:

1. Shall the electors elect a Mayor and four Council Members? Yes or No.
2. Shall the term of office of mayor be two years? Yes or No.
3. Shall the term of office of mayor be four years? Yes or No.

Voters may vote on one, two or all three of these measures. The first measure asks whether the voters shall elect the Mayor and four Council Members. Since the Council Members in Atascadero are currently elected by the voters, the only change if the first measure is passed would be to provide for the Mayor to be elected by the voters rather than selected by the City Council. If the first measure receives a majority of yes votes at the election, then the term of the Mayor, two years or four years, shall be that preferred by a majority of those voting on the measures.

   Official Information

City of Atascadero
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Arguments For Measure E-10
Atascadero should have an elected mayor. Every city in San Luis Obispo County has an elected mayor + all except Atascadero + our mayor is selected from among the sitting City Council members annually. With a one year term of office, the Atascadero mayor is just becoming effective when they are replaced by another council member.

An elected mayor is better than an appointed mayor for the following reasons:

  • An elected mayor is more accountable to the voters than an appointed mayor.
  • An elected mayor will represent Atascadero better and for longer than one year at a time on state and county inter-governmental commissions and boards. This will put Atascadero on a level playing field with other cities with elected mayors when vying for grant monies or influencing policy.
  • An elected mayor provides continuity of purpose and a vision for the community.
  • An elected mayor will work more efficiently with city staff allowing more to be accomplished. Currently, staff must adjust to each mayor's differing goals each year. An elected mayor would provide continuity.
  • An elected mayor will have more experience and time in office and is better able to achieve the goals of the voters.

After 30 years of incorporation, the voters of Atascadero deserve the opportunity to directly elect the mayor.

s/ Roberta Fonzi, Mayor, City of Atascadero
s/ Jerry Clay, City Councilman
s/ Jay De Cou, Business Owner
s/ Don Idler, Business Owner
s/ Ron Walters, President, A Better Atascadero

(No arguments against Measure E-10 were submitted)

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