Council Names Chung 2nd Mayor Pro Tem

The City Council this week narrowly approved the appointment of Councilman Ho Chung as second mayor pro tem--a position dubbed Assistant Mayor Pro Tem.

Chung will substitute for Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater if Mayor Pro Tem Mark Leyes is unavailable.

Leyes voted against the appointment Tuesday, arguing it might cost the city money to, for example, reprint stationery.

“I just think we can carry things to an extreme. Where does it stop? Do we have a Mayor Pro Tem Three?” Leyes asked.

Councilman Bob Dinsen also opposed the appointment.

Before the 3-2 vote, council members debated whether it could meet legally if two members were missing, which led to an argument over whether the council had ever done so in the past.

Finally, Councilman Tony Ingegneri said he would vote for the Chung appointment “to move off the subject.”