Process Questioned as Mayor Is Reappointed

Norman Z. Eckenrode was reappointed this week to serve as mayor for the fifth time since 1978, when he was first elected to the City Council.

The council voted 4 to 0, with Councilwoman Maria Moreno abstaining, to give the ceremonial role to Eckenrode, owner of a Brea pizza restaurant.

Moreno criticized the selection process for mayor and mayor pro tem: “My constituency, which is broad-based, wants clarification on what the process is,” said Moreno, a council member since 1988 who served as mayor in 1992. The current process, she added, “gives the appearance of being a closed-club process.”

Eckenrode, 59, said he wanted to serve as mayor again so he could help lead on several issues, including a project to recycle drinking water for north and central Orange County residents.