A quiet and bloodless revolution has concluded in the City of Calexico, as a majority of the Council voted to force Mayor Luis Castro from the position of mayor.
The move was described as a last resort to restore professionalism and order to a board that has been struggling to maintain its decorum at meetings in the last six months. Now, the city does not have an official leader because while they removed their mayor on Tuesday, they aren’t scheduled to name a new mayor until the next council meeting.
The vote was split 3-2 for removal, with Castro and another member of the board blaming the deterioration of professionalism on egos and personalities, not leadership. But it didn’t help that one of the consistent disruptions at the council meetings was a supporter of Castro – a point the now-former mayor says doesn’t mean that he was controlled by Castro.
From the Imperial Valley Press:
A fractured City Council here voted to remove Luis Castro from the position of mayor Tuesday night, and who will take his place remains undecided for now.
In what Councilwoman Maritza Hurtado described as a “last resort,” she requested the issue of Castro’s removal be placed on the agenda due to what she views as a loss of control of meetings during the past several months.
“Effective decision making and proper strategic process can only occur in any board when order becomes and remains the foundational principal,” she said. “For the last six months, we have had little if any proper meeting decorum with the present leadership.”
Read the full article here.