Politics & Government

John P. Lyon Selected as Mayor of Artesia; Sally Z. Flowers Named Mayor Pro Tem

Lyon has been selected as Mayor of Artesia; the community also welcomes the council's new members and bids farewell to an outgoing council member and city leadership.

John P. Lyon was selected as the new Mayor of Artesia and Sally Zuniga Flowers as Mayor Pro Tem during tonight's annual reorganization meeting for the Artesia City Council at the .

The evening began with local officials, community leaders and local citizens honoring outgoing council member Michele L. Diaz for her contributions to the city. Diaz was chosen to serve the remainder of the term for council member Larry Nelson, who passed away on May 1, 2010 from cancer. A longtime Artesia resident, Diaz was praised by her peers for quickly stepping in to serve the city and its people under difficult circumstances. 

Also recognized during the event was outgoing Mayor Victor Manalo, who was lauded for his year of service and contributions to the city, specifically as a champion for community service and volunteerism.

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During his final remarks as mayor, a very humble Manalo reflected on his accomplishments as the city's leader and expressed deep gratitude to his family, his fellow councilmembers and supporters, and those in the community that he worked closely with throughout his time as mayor.

"Artesia is strong because of its people," Manalo said reassuringly.

Find out what's happening in Cerritos-Artesiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Following Manalo's comments, the crowd witnessed the swearing in for newly appointed councilmembers Tony Lima and  -- a portion of evening that was greeted with excitement and cheers from a room filled with an abundance of Canales' supporters. 

The meeting concluded with the council's selections of Lyon as Mayor and Flowers as Mayor Pro Tem.

Lyon was first elected to the City Council in 1994, and re-elected in 1999. After taking a few years off, he was again joined the council in 2009. He has already served two previous terms as mayor.

Flowers, whose family has deep roots in the city's history, was elected to the city council in March 1997 and has served as Mayor Pro-Tem, as well as Mayor for 2000-2001.

The newly reorganized council will meet to discuss its regular agenda at 7 p.m. tonight in the council chambers at . 

(Editor's Note: A full recap of the Dec. 12 event will be published on Cerritos-Artesia Patch in the coming days.)


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