Daly
City – A standing-room only crowd of about
200 witnessed Daly City’s City Council installation
and re-organization held Monday night at City
Hall. The 90-minute program included the certification
of the November 2nd election results, the installation
of four elected officials, the selection of
a new Mayor and Vice Mayor, and the outgoing
mayor’s top citizens awards. The special meeting
was also the last for Councilmember Adrienne
Tissier, who was elected to the San Mateo County
Board of Supervisors (District 5) in March 2004
and will begin her term on January 3, 2005.
Installation ceremonies were conducted for outgoing
Mayor Sal Torres, Councilmember Judith A. Christensen,
City Clerk Maria E. Cortes and City Treasurer
Anthony J. Zidich. The oaths of office were
administered, respectively, by San Mateo County
Supervisor Michael D. Nevin, Jefferson School
District Board Trustee Annette Hipona, former
City Clerk Lorraine D’Elia and Debra Zidich-Gibbons.
With Daly City’s 47th City Council on the dais
came the selection of the new Mayor and Vice
Mayor. Carol L. Klatt was chosen Mayor and Michael
P. Guingona, as Vice Mayor. Both officials have
served on the Daly City council the longest,
since l993.
“Daly City has many achievements to be proud
of this past year, despite the obstacles. The
state’s fiscal crisis negatively impacted the
city’s limited resources, and the February flood
tested our emergency preparedness. But as our
residents have done a number of times in recent
years, we pulled together as one community.
As Mayor, I want to thank you for your support.
We need to continue working together to do what
is best for Daly City,” remarked Mayor Klatt.
The most dramatic announcement of the evening
is the outgoing mayor’s special awards, which
garnered standing ovations from the attendees.
Former Mayor Sal Torres named three: Margaret
Boghosian as Citizen of the Year, Ken and Bunny
Gillespie as Citizens of the Decade, and Vincent
C. Rodriguez III as Outstanding Youth of the
Year.
Margaret Boghosian has been a Doelger Senior
Center volunteer since January 1993. As a 40-hour-a-week
full-time volunteer, she has amassed a total
of 14,613 volunteer hours to date. In April
1995, Margaret became a contributing writer
for the Active Adults, a quarterly magazine
for Daly City’s senior community. In December
2000, she took over the pre-press work and cover
design for the publication, resulting in savings
– about $35,000 a year – for the Parks and Recreation
Department’s seniors program. A Daly City resident
for 44 years, Margaret, at age 77, also serves
as treasurer for the Doelger Senior Center Advisory
and Planning Council.
Designated by the City Council as Official City
Historians for Daly City in September 1987,
Ken and Bunny Gillespie have served the city
and the community in a myriad of ways. Since
1986, Ken was the president of the History Guild
of Daly City – Colma, while Bunny was the secretary
and program chair. He has donated “countless
hours of leadership, creativity and talent”
as writer, producer, director, performer and/or
emcee for “hundreds of benefits” sponsored by
religious, educational, professional, social,
fraternal or community organizations. She has
written hundreds of articles published in newspapers
and periodicals, and is the author of Images
of America: Daly City and The Great Daly City
Historical Trivia Book, which was designed and
illustrated by Ken. “Because of your continued
endeavors to safeguard its history, anyone who
lives in Daly City can access its past, form
its present and witness the growth of its future.
As a result, they are better for the knowledge
of the city they call home,” penned the former
mayor on the plaque for the Gillespies.
Vincent C. Rodriguez III graduated from Westmoor
High School in June 2000. He attended Skyline
College and College of San Mateo, and received
training at the Pacific Conservatory of Performing
Arts in Santa Maria. Currently pursuing his
dream to be an actor, Vincent was singled out
for his tenacity and determination. “You are
a shining example to all of Daly City’s youth
that no goal is unattainable, no objective unworthy
of the effort, and that no dream is impossible,”
read Vincent’s award from outgoing Mayor Torres.
The 22-year-old recipient is back in the Bay
Area as a member of the cast in “White Christmas,”
now showing at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre.
A reception for the public followed the event’s
presentations and installation ceremonies.
