George B. Scott to End 21 Years on City Council

Mayor George B. Scott, the man who gave the city its first public fountain, will step down tonight from the City Council after 21 years in office.

The familiar city figure, known for his efficient, no-nonsense style of governing, is among the longest-serving officials in Orange County.

He was elected to the council in 1969 and served until 1978. After promising voters he would build a public fountain at City Hall to help the town live up to its name, he was reelected in 1984 and has served since.

“I know I am going to miss all the people I’ve worked with over the years,” Scott said. “The part I won’t miss is all the meetings and all the work I have to do. I am going back to work where I get paid.”

Scott, 64, runs an insurance company and said he has no plans to retire.

According to custom, Scott will pass the mayor’s gavel to Councilman James D. Petrikin, the city’s mayor pro tem, at the meeting. Petrikin won a third term in the Nov. 5 election and has been mayor once before.

The mayoral position is largely ceremonial and rotates annually among council members. The mayor presides over meetings and makes public appearances but does not have more power than other officials.

Scott moved to Fountain Valley in 1964. He was coaching football and teaching in Hawthorne when he drove through the city to help friends shop for a house.

“I never heard of Orange County, and I drove out with them and bought a house--and they didn’t,” he said.

Also tonight, the council will review and certify the Nov. 5 election, swear in Councilman-elect Chuck Conlosh, a police officer, and light a municipal Christmas tree.