Loveland’s new Mayor, Cecil Gutierrez, along with 4 council members will be sworn into office this evening at Loveland City Hall just after 6:30 PM.New members of the city council include; Joan Shaffer, Cathleen McEwen and Hugh McKean. Councilman Daryle Klassen is the only incumbent to have won re-election to the council and will also be sworn-in.
A reception to honor outgoing Mayor Gene Pielin, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Clark and council members Glenn Rousey and Walt Skowron is being held at Loveland City Hall just outside the City Council Chambers located at 500 East Third St. in Loveland.Traditionally, the city clerk determines the seating arrangement for the council and rotates the location of each council member periodically with the exception of the mayor and mayor pro tem.
The mayor always sits at the center of the dais while the mayor pro tem is seated on the mayor’s right side. Immediately following the swearing-in the mayor will call for nominations for the mayor pro tem. Once the vote is complete the individual elected by their peers to serve as the mayor pro tem moves to occupy the seat next to the mayor.
However, this swearing-in ceremony might be different this year if Councilwoman Johnson has her way. Councilwoman Carol Johnson is working diligently behind the scenes to deny the new mayor and councilors an ability to elect the mayor pro tem. Convinced that newly announced council candidate Donna Rice-McCrea (see the Reporter-Herald story) will win the vacated council seat for Ward 1 thus giving the ‘old guard’ a majority, Johnson is working to delay the vote for mayor pro tem. She wants a postponement until after the special election in March when a 9th person will be elected to the council. Whether Johnson’s fellow travelers on council, Klassen, Heckel and newly elected McKean, agree to trump the normal process for purely political reasons remains to be seen.
The second highest vote getter in Ward 1 earlier this month, Jan Brown, is said to have capitulated to pressure from Loveland’s Chamber of Commerce not to seek the office again in deference to Chamber backed candidate Rice-McCrea.
Mike Case is another potential candidate in Ward 1 who would likely not allow Councilwoman Carol Johnson to dictate his choice for mayor pro tem but has yet to confirm whether or not he will seek the office. The meeting promises to be interesting and may in fact end with a tie vote for the mayor pro tem position should at least three councilors follow Johnson’s lead in putting Johnson’s agenda ahead of the city’s reputation for stability and normal protocol.
