ROLLING HILLS ESTATES : City Council Names Beck New Mayor

Although the mayor’s gavel has changed hands in this peninsula city, don’t expect many changes.

Following custom, the City Council voted 5 to 0 on Nov. 22 to make Mayor Pro Tem Robert Beck the next mayor. He replaces Barbara Rauch, who goes back to the council after a one-year mayoral term.

Beck, who owns a law firm in Torrance, said he has no hidden agenda and no special projects to push through the council.

“If I come up with something, I’ll give you a call,” he said.

Beck, 46, mentioned the George F Canyon Nature Center and the neighborhood compatibility study, which outlines the character of each neighborhood, as important projects.

The mayor’s vote carries no extra weight, and his recommendations for city committees must be approved by the council, said City Manager Doug Prichard.

With Councilwoman Susan Seamans abstaining, the council selected Peter M. Weber as the new mayor pro tem.

Beck, a former planning commissioner, is serving his first four-year term on the council and said he expects to run again in 1995.

The Becks were recently honored as the South Bay’s international family of the year. Beck and his wife, Nancy, have five children, ages 5 to 22, including two who were adopted from Russia in August, 1993.