Updated: Former State Assemblyman Robert Pacheco Picked For Walnut City Council

A familiar face has returned to the Walnut City Council.

The council voted 3-0-1 Wednesday night to approve appointing Robert "Bob" Pacheco to the vacant seat. Councilman Eric Ching abstained.

During the nearly three-hour meeting, 10 candidates vying for the seat left vacant when former Mayor Tom King resigned July 1, spoke about their qualifications and goals should they be picked. They also fielded questions from the council members on a variety of topics from the red light camera to Lighting and Open Space Maintenance District fees to development.

Council members pointed to Pacheco's political experience, community involvement, and connections to state and federal legislators as key reasons for selecting him.

Pacheco, 79, said after he was sworn in that he would like to get together with the other applicants for the post and form an advisory committee.

"We can't afford to lose this talent," he said. "They love the city. Their heart is in it. They want to do what's right for it."

For Pacheco, his appointment to the city council marks a return of sorts to earlier political roots.  The former state lawmaker served around two years on the Walnut City Council in the mid 1990s before running for higher office.

His appointment to the council expires in April 2014. He said he plans to run for the seat once his appointed term is over.

Pacheco said the city of Walnut's budget has shrunk around 10 percent in the past year.  He said he feels he can help the city get some money the state owes Walnut in the form of intergovernmental transfers.

"I didn't do it because I want recognition or anything else," he said of applying for the seat. "I did it because i believe in this community."

Prior to making a selection, the council members debated how to pick the applicant.  Councilman Eric Ching made a motion that each council member select his or her top five, narrow it down to three, and then vote for the first choice.  That motion died for lack of support. He then made a motion that each council member pick his or her top 3 and then a first choice, but that suggestion also failed to get support.

City Attorney Michael Montgomery suggested that they go through the list and vote using their automated green light buttons, but the council members decided against that.

Mayor Antonio "Tony" Cartagena then suggested they keep with the tradition of someone nominating a pick and then seeing it the pick could get to a vote. Ching nominated Dr. Howard Wang, who ran for council in 2010. When that motion failed, he nominated James Swartz, who serves on the Parks and Recreation Commission, which also did not get the needed support.

Councilwoman Mary Su nominated Pacheco and both she and Cartagena spoke in support of him before taking the vote. Both touted his involvement in the community, including the founding of the Walnut Educational Foundation, and his political expertise.

"I believe he will bring a lot of state and federal resources for us," Su said. "He has been serving the community for many many many years.

Cartagena, spoke passionately in favor of Pacheco. He mentioned several instances when the city enlisted Pacheco's assistance as a state lawmaker, including his help get a proposed material recovery facility moved away from the area of Grand Avenue and Valley Boulevard in the City of Industry.

"This is an individual that is tested and proven," he said, "somebody who has already contributed in the city of Walnut."