Walnut City Council Crowns King as Mayor

The Walnut City Council has crowned a new mayor.

Tom King’s fellow council members selected him for the job. King has served on the Walnut City Council since 2002, including three previous stints as mayor.

King’s wife Marjorie conducted the swearing-in ceremony, while his daughter Laura held the Bible.

King said that the council members are proud of Walnut’s recognitions, including being named the best place to raise children, one of the top small cities in the nation, and among the towns where residents live longer.  King said it is an honor to be the mayor of a city like that, but the credit goes to the community as a whole.

“It’s the people in this community that made it what it is - your involvement your volunteerism, the churches, the social groups like the Rotary, and the Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “You’ve all come together to build what it called a great community.  And I just promise that as long as I hold this office I will do my best to uphold what you’ve created.”

The council members selected Councilman Antonio “Tony” Cartagena to serve as mayor pro tem. Cartagena was first elected to the council in 2000 and has served as mayor three times.

He was sworn in by St. Lorenzo Church’s Father Tony Astudillo.  Cartagena’s wife Norie held the Bible.

“Thank you for your support to each and everyone, especially those who are attending this council session,” Cartagena said.

In addition to the swearing-in ceremonies, the city also honored outgoing Mayor Mary Su.

Su was first elected to the council in 2006.  She was the first Asian woman to serve on the council and the first to be mayor.  This past year was her second time as mayor.

Jody Roberto, representing state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, gave Su a certificate recognizing her service as mayor.  Los Angeles County Fire Department Assistant Chief Dave Stone presented Su with a challenge coin in a Lucite, the first time the department has given such an award, he said.

“The challenge coin is very important to our department because it shows strength, teamwork, unity, the things that we value with the city of Walnut,” he said.

Su pointed to teamwork as the reason why she was able to have a successful stint as mayor, thanking her fellow council members, city department heads, and staff for working as a unit to achieve several accomplishments including keeping the budget balanced and drawing new businesses to town.

“This was a tough year,” Su said. “California took a lot of money from us, especially redevelopment, and everybody is in the red. But the city of Walnut is still able to maintain our budget. We’re still able to provide the best service that we could because we have a really dedicated staff.”

Su gave a presentation comparing the goals set at the start of her tenure as mayor with the city’s accomplishments.

She listed the balanced budget, the restoration of the Fourth of July event, and the effort to draw new businesses such as Chase Bank and Panera Bread as achievements the council and staff were able to accomplish. 

Su also mentioned partnerships with Mt. San Antonio College, the Temple Avenue street rehabilitation project, and the recently established railroad quiet zone along Valley Boulevard.

“Walnut is a wonderful place,” she said.  “I am really honored to serve as mayor last year and it gave me a lot of opportunities to go out there and meet with many many organizations.”