GREENFIELD — A new mayor and two new councilmembers joined the Greenfield City Council after a swearing-in ceremony Dec. 11, during which the outgoing mayor and council were thanked for their service.
In November, Greenfield voters elected Lance Walker as the new mayor, who campaigned against current Mayor Pro Tem Avelina Torres and past Mayor Pro Tem Raul Rodriguez. Walker received 1,095 votes, compared to Torres’ 986 and Rodriguez’s 404 votes.
According to City Clerk Ann Rathbun, 54 percent of Greenfield voters cast their vote in the Nov. 6 general election.
The two remaining council seats were contested by Irene Garcia, Jessica Madrid-Bautista, David Mendoza, Drew Tipton and Angela Untalon, with the latter two receiving the most votes — 888 for Untalon and 877 for Tipton.
Walker, Tipton and Untalon were sworn in by Rathbun last Tuesday and took their new seats after the election results were approved by the former councilmembers.
Outgoing Mayor Jesus OlveraGarcia, who has served the City of Greenfield since January 2017, said, “It was an honor and a privilege to serve our community of Greenfield. As an immigrant, coming here 12 years ago, it’s an honor to have represented the community. I would like to thank the whole community.”
Torres served on the city council since November 2014 and was elected to serve as the mayor pro tem in November 2016. Her leaving meant a new mayor pro tem needed to be selected that night.
Public comment began with resident Beatriz Diaz saying she was in favor of Councilmember Yanely Martinez serving in the mayor pro tem role.
Diaz’s thoughts were echoed by Greenfield residents who said Martinez was a leader and looking to improve the community by reaching out to other councils in the county and encouraging youth to use their voice at council meetings.
The new council listened to the community and agreed to appoint Martinez as mayor pro tem.
Also that evening, Councilmember Leah Santibanez, who did not seek re-election to the council in November, said her goodbyes. She has served on the council since 2014.
“I want to thank the community for having enough faith to elect me,” Santibanez said. “It’s been an interesting four years. I’ve worked with four different city managers, and I feel like we’re leaving you in good hands with Paul Wood as your new city manager.”
