Hedges Sworn In; Strauss Bows Out

City Council members took time at their meeting this week to thank and praise outgoing Councilman Donald A. Strauss.

Political newcomer John Hedges, who defeated Strauss by just 225 votes in the Nov. 6 election, was sworn into office as the representative of the 1st District. Corona del Mar Councilman Phil Sansone was elected mayor, replacing Ruthelyn Plummer, who has served as mayor for the last year.

The council praised Strauss, a 12-year incumbent, for his consistent and balanced representation and his courteous conduct.

“His contributions to the city are really going to be missed,” added Councilman John C. Cox Jr.

Strauss said the city’s character has not changed much since he was first elected to the council in 1978.

“Well, it’s obviously grown in population,” he said. “It’s still a reasonably small town, but it’s getting bigger.

“The fights that used to be about land, zoning and so forth are much more subdued now,” Strauss said, noting that most of the land available for development has already been spoken for.

Strauss said he would continue to pursue his interests in personnel and labor relations, perhaps on a consulting basis.

Also at this week’s meeting, Sansone called for continued pressure for a new county airport, lobbying against new county fees that may be levied because of recent state legislation and working to improve control of teen-agers’ cruising on Balboa Peninsula.