City Council Shake-up Set for Dec. 5

It's time to stir the pot at Capitola City Hall, and Wednesday, Dec. 5 will be the big day for roles to change on the city council.

Each year, a new mayor is selected from among the five councilmembers. Often in small towns like Capitola, mayors are selected rather than elected. The mayor rotates from member to member, generally with the vice mayor becoming the mayor the next year, so long as the vice mayor's term has not expired.

Generally, the Capitola City Council meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. At the special Wednesday meeting at 6 p.m., it's likely that current Vice Mayor Stephanie Harlan will take the mayor reins while current Mayor Mike Termini will shift a seat to the right on the council. 

Also central to the meeting will be the approval of the results of the Nov. 6 election, which includes the filling of two council seats, and the results of Measure O. 

The city will recognize Kirby Nicol, who has completed his two terms on the council as well as Jacques Bertrand, the outgoing Capitola City Treasurer. The two new councilmembers will then take the oath of office. Every vote has not yet been counted due to outstanding ballots, but should the current count go unchanged, Ed Bottorff will join the council along with re-elected Dennis Norton. Bertrand, as of the most recent vote tally, trailed Norton by just 162 votes.

If Measure O officially passes, sales tax in Capitola will increase by 0.25 percent. The latest vote count shows the measure passing 51-49 with 2,118 votes for and 2,037 votes against. 

Stay tuned to Patch for final and official vote counts next week.