Silver Lake City Council swears in new members

Monday night’s Silver Lake City Council meeting began with the swearing in of new Council Members Ken Merrill and Josh Mason, as well as Mayor Bruce Bebo.
The Council also approved the appointment of Council liaisons to the various department heads, such as public works, city administration, public safety, municipal liquor dispensary, community development and planning commission. This meeting not only introduced the council members, but also gave an overview of each of the liaison’s roles and duties.
There was an extensive discussion discussing the role of a council member as well as a liaison to the department heads of the city’s services.  City Clerk Kerry Venier explained that as supervisors for the departments heads, there is not authority to give actual direction directly to them, but to bring potential changes to the Council which then, as a governing body, can make direct requests of each of the department heads. A liaison should be communicating with the department heads any concerns or issues that have been brought to light.
Mayor Bruce Bebo added that as they work towards their quarterly meetings in April, July and October, there should be tangible goals coming from each of the council members. These will be goals for each of their respective departments, and can be big or small. He stressed that their job as council members is to present goals, and also give a projected budget and funding source for each project. Bebo also stressed that a good council doesn’t always agree on everything, and that some differences in opinion are vital to progressive discussion.
For more, see the Jan. 7 print edition of The Chronicle.