San Juan Capistrano : 3 Sworn In to Council After Sad Farewell

Carolyn Nash was appointed mayor Tuesday, but the move was overshadowed by an emotional farewell to Gary L. Hausdorfer, a 16-year City Council veteran and South County political figure who decided to not run for reelection.

As more than 100 people in a packed council chamber watched, Hausdorfer choked up with tears while thanking friends, supporters and family.

Hausdorfer said that his experience in public life had been filled with rewards but also a few frustrations.

“Some people say I lost interest,” Hausdorfer said. “No, I never lost interest. I lost patience sometimes.

“Would I do it all again? In a heartbeat,” he added.

Among those attending the occasion marking the end of a local era were the city’s five former mayors and Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, who praised Hausdorfer for his work in a program aimed at steering children and teen-agers away from drugs.

Gates said that Hausdorfer was always willing to help, citing the time he spoke at a memorial service for a sheriff’s deputy who was slain on duty.

After Hausdorfer and fellow outgoing Councilman Jeff Vasquez stepped down from the dais, Wyatt T. Hart, David M. Swerdlin and Gil Jones were sworn in to four-year terms. Like Hausdorfer, Vasquez chose not to run for reelection.

Hart and Swerdlin, both first-term councilmen, won seats along with Jones in the Nov. 8 election. Jones is serving his second term.

Nash, who was elected in 1992, won the unanimous backing of her colleagues to succeed Collene Campbell as mayor for the next two years. Campbell has two years left on her council term.

Hart, a former member of the city’s Planning Commission, was appointed to serve as mayor pro tem.