Bohr voted as new mayor

A goodbye and a hello: That was the two-headed theme of this week’s City Council meeting

Numerous city groups thanked Mayor Debbie Cook on Monday night on the last day of her eight years on the City Council. But after a break for a reception with food and coffee, it was on to new business, as reelected Councilman Keith Bohr took over as mayor and newest member Devin Dwyer took his place on the dais.

Business, environmental and other groups from Huntington Beach and countywide praised Cook for decades of environmental activism and eight years in elected office. Following her unsuccessful Congressional campaign, Cook has said she plans not to seek another office.

Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce President Joyce Riddell thanked Cook for her work.

Several groups didn’t just offer words; they offered gifts as well, from the special mulch courtesy of Rainbow Disposal to Residents for Responsible Desalination President Merle Moshiri’s jar of shells.

“I’m giving you these shells, which were all collected in Huntington Beach, because you know that our past, our present and our future lie in the ocean,” Moshiri said.

A visibly moved Cook appeared to hold back tears at some points.

“Thank you all,” Cook said. “I really appreciate this. This was way over the top.”

After election winners Bohr, Councilman Don Hansen and Dwyer were sworn in, council members unanimously voted in Bohr as mayor and Councilwoman Cathy Green as Mayor Pro Tem.

Bohr then made a presentation on his thoughts for the coming year, which he billed as just “some ideas” because the mayor still has only one vote. The major concern of the upcoming year, he said, will be coping with the lost money of economic recession and finding ways to keep funding the necessary parts of government.

The best way to do that, he said, would be to make sure new retail development, new housing and new hotels go in as planned, and to give locals more options to shop in town.

“We have a lot of leakage [of tax dollars] out of town,” he said. “There are new projects in town. ... If we get the right retailers obviously we can capture some of that.”

Other priorities Bohr mentioned include significant infrastructure needs, making sure Huntington Beach has a memorable centennial, and working through the Beach-Edinger Corridor Specific Plan, a proposed revitalization which would change zoning on those streets to allow for certain pockets of higher density and invite apartments to replace some strip malls over time.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at [email protected].