Hermosa Beach, Meet Your New Mayor And Mayor Pro Tem

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Councilmembers elected a new mayor and mayor pro tem at a Hermosa Beach City Council meeting Thursday night.

Mayor Campbell will serve as mayor and Councilmember Justin Massey will serve as the new mayor pro tem. Councilmembers praised outgoing Mayor Stacey Armato for her leadership over the past year.

"Stacey is a force of nature who has an endless amount of energy for this City," Mayor Campbell said. "It has been an absolute joy and pleasure working alongside her, and I look forward to working with Justin to continue to move our community forward."

Campbell said she will be focused on strengthening the Hermosa Beach Police Department and public safety as the City hires a new police chief and seeks to improve officer recruitment and retention during her one-year term, the City of Hermosa Beach press release said.

She said she will also pursue a stronger partnership between the City and the business community, while also celebrating and preserving Hermosa Beach’s unique culture and history. Campbell also emphasized the importance of ensuring that the City continues to make progress on infrastructure projects and other quality of life efforts, including fostering civility during stressful times.

Mayor Campbell said she nominated Councilmember Massey to be the mayor pro tem because “he works collaboratively with the city manager and other councilmembers, which is a vital part of the job, and we don’t want to lose the momentum to move forward with the many projects and initiatives we have underway in the City.”

Upon turning the gavel over to the new mayor, Councilmember Armato said serving as the City’s mayor for the past year had been an honor and a privilege. Armato is "thrilled" to have Campbell as the City's new mayor, and is confident she will do a "fantastic job" leading Hermosa Beach.

Over the past year, the City has made "significant strides" in the priorities the City Council set, including launching a new website and completing the Hermosa Avenue and 8th Street improvements.

"The Fire Station construction is underway, and the Community Center is looking better than ever," Armato said. "But there’s still more that needs to be done, and I look forward to Mary’s leadership as we work with the Council, City Staff and the community to complete our public works projects and serve the residents of Hermosa."