PLACENTIA : Moreno Is Named to Mayor’s Post

Councilwoman Maria Moreno has been chosen mayor by the City Council after being passed over for the post each of the last four years.

Councilman Norman Z. Eckenrode was chosen mayor pro tem.

Moreno, who was first elected to the council in 1988 and was reelected last month, had not previously been nominated for mayor. She takes the reins from former Mayor John O. Tynes, who was reelected to the council.

About two dozen Moreno supporters attended the council meeting Tuesday. The group burst into applause and began cheering when councilwoman Carol Downey nominated Moreno.

“It’s about time,” shouted Melissa Albidrez, a Moreno supporter. “We had to wait four years for this.”

Moreno said she was surprised at the council’s unanimous decision. However, she had said just after the November election that her first-place finish indicated that the citizens desire her brand of leadership.

“Being the top vote-getter was a message from the voters that they have been pleased with my work,” Moreno said.

Although Moreno’s stronghold is in the city’s predominantly Latino southern neighborhoods of La Jolla, Santa Fe and Atwood, her platform of increasing police presence, focusing on a rising drug trade and providing more recreational and education programs for youths played well in all parts of the city.

Moreno, who will hold the mayor’s post for a year, said she did not know why she had been overlooked in past years, but added that she did not let it stop her from serving the city.

“I’ve always felt I was doing the best job I could,” Moreno said.

Albidrez, who worked on both of Moreno’s campaigns, said the city needs Moreno’s new ideas and ability to relate to residents. The council’s decision was a gesture acknowledging Moreno’s service and popularity with voters, Albidrez said. But it also gives Moreno an opportunity to prove her leadership ability, she said.

“They have passed her the ball and they want to see if she is going to run with it,” Albidrez said.

Tuesday’s meeting was the last for Arthur G. Newton, who was defeated last month after serving two four-year terms. Michael L. Maertzweiler, who was elected for the first time, and incumbent Tynes were sworn in along with Moreno.