It's a Night of Hellos and Goodbyes as Cerritos Reshuffles Its Leadership

It was a night filled with expressed gratitude, a warm farewell along with welcomed hellos echoed by moments of reflection. And, by the end of the evening, Cerritos resurfaced with a change in its leadership led by a face that is quite familiar.

The city's annual reorganization meeting held at the chambers on March 16 boasted a jam-packed itinerary before a standing-room-only crowd, including several local city and county officials as well as numerous members of the community.

The evening began with a fond farewell to Mayor Pro Tem Laura Lee who has served on the city council since 2003 and was re-elected in 2007, thus reaching the city's council term limits by serving two consecutive four year terms. She was also Mayor from 2007 -2008 and served on the City's ABC Unified School District, Budget/Finance, Business and Industry, Performing Arts and Senior Services/Senior Center committees.

Lee, who has lived in the city since 1979, was honored for her accomplishments as part of the council, receiving plaques and certificates of recognition from neighboring cities Artesia, La Palma, Lakewood, Downey, Paramount and Hawaiian Gardens. Officials from the and the Los Angeles County Fire Department also showed their appreciation to the retiring councilmember.

Lee poked fun at her absence at home due to her council duties, and even shared her husband Charles' favorite saying.

“Behind every successful woman is a hungry man," Lee said jokingly, triggering an explosion of laughter throughout the room.

But all jokes aside, Lee who dazzled in a sparkly light aqua ensemble, took several minutes to express her thanks to the community and all her council peers.

"It has been a pleasure to serve with the city council. I gave my seat to a great person," she added, referring to newly-elected councilman Mark E. Pulido.

Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe also dropped by to share a few fond words about the retiring councilmember. 

“Laura Lee has like 1,900 scrolls,” Knabe said with a smile. “I just wanted to thank you for your service.”

Those in attendance also witnessed the selection of Carol K. Chen as the city's Mayor and Jim Edwards as Mayor Pro Tem.

Chen was elected to the City Council in 2008 and re-elected in 2009. Prior to joining the council, she served on the Cerritos Planning Commission for seven years, including two terms as Chair and Vice Chair. Chen also spent two years as the Vice Chair of the Cerritos Property Preservation Commission and was a member of the Community Safety Committee for four years.

“I am honored to be named Mayor of Cerritos," she said. "I would like to thank my city council colleagues for their support. This is a challenging time for our city and for communities around the world. In light of the state's budget shortfall and the governor's proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies, we will make every effort to protect the City's resources and will continue to be prudent with the City's budget."

The wife and mother of two grown daughters also has a long history of community involvement, including 10 years of service to CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment), a non-profit community-based organization that educates Asian Americans about civic participation and political processes. She served as a Director and Founding Member of the organization, according to a city-issued news release.

Together with her husband, Chen has owned and operated a Cerritos-based real estate investment and property management company since 1988. She has held a California real estate license since 1980 and is also a certified international property specialist. 

And with Cerritos potentially losing millions from Gov. Brown's proposed elimination of the city's Redevelopment Agency, Chen's experience as a businesswoman will likely come in handy as she leads the city through the challenges of the current economic crisis.

“This is also a time of opportunity, and we can look forward to progress in the city,” said Chen, who as the mayor also becomes the new chairwoman of the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency,  “I welcome the challenges and opportunities in serving as mayor this coming year. I’m only a phone call away.”

After being chosen as mayor, Chen took her new post in the center seat of the council dais, sitting alongside re-elected incumbents and Bruce Barrows and newly-elected -- all of whom were sworn in before the packed council chambers. 

“This is truly the culmination of my family’s American dream,” Pulido said, adding that he was very humbled to have received the most votes during the election having surpassed the 5,000 mark for the first time in the city's election history. Pulido fell short in his previous two council runs, but in the March 8 municipal election, the longtime Cerritos resident received 5,198 votes -- almost 500 more nods than the next top top vote-getter, Barrows, who recorded 4,704. 

After taking time to thank a long list of supporters, the former ABC School Board member stressed the need for unity between the council and members of the community, “If we work together, Cerritos’ best days are ahead.”

Newly-elected councilmember Cho, who also received warm praise and acknowledgement with numerous plaques and awards for his year as mayor, also took the opportunity to reflect on his thoughts. 

“If we don’t make changes today, we’ll find ourselves tomorrow, left behind,” Cho said. “We are all here together as winners.”

The evening's festivities ended with a reception in the Sierra Room of the  to welcome the new mayor along with the rest of reorganized city council. It provided the council with a short pause for celebration before the group forges ahead in a year that is sure to bring about many tough challenges. 

“The real work begins now,” Mayor Chen said.