FILLMORE : City Council Installs Brewster as Mayor

The Fillmore City Council on Tuesday installed Councilwoman Linda Brewster as the city’s mayor for the next two years while two of her colleagues jockeyed for position as her replacement in the rotating position in 1995.

“It’s an honorary post,” said Brewster, a homemaker who has served on the council since 1990. “But the mayor does have a lot lot of responsibility. The mayor serves on countywide boards and helps make decisions on regional issues that affect us all.”

Brewster replaces outgoing Mayor Mike McMahan for the job. She said she and the council will continue to push economic development for the city and encourage more youth services.

“This council has done a great job working together, particularly on economic issues,” Brewster said. “That’s what it’s like in a small town like Fillmore, people work together.”

Councilman Roger Campbell, an auto shop owner, and Councilman Don Gunderson, an engineer, were at odds over becoming mayor pro tem, a position that puts a council member in line for mayor.

The council voted 4 to 1 to give the position to Campbell, with Gunderson casting the lone dissenting vote. Both members argued that they most deserved the post.

“I’ve been on the council for nine years, and even though I’ve been mayor once, I’ve waited longer than any other member,” Campbell said.

“I was next in line,” Gunderson said. “It wouldn’t be right to go out of sequence.”