Council members Roger Wykle, Mike Metcalf and Phil Arth are sworn in. Photo Andy Scheck

Moraga Town Council members Karen Mendonca and Howard Harpham participated in their last council meeting Dec. 12. Mendonca lost her seat in the last election and Harpham opted not to run for a second term. Lamorinda's only all-male council unanimously elected Dave Trotter as mayor for 2013 and Ken Chew as vice mayor.
During their last council meeting Mendonca and Harpham were praised by the people who worked with them.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen praised her good friend Mendonca as a woman of integrity and character who is always well prepared. Town Manager Jill Keimach thanked Mendonca for having had the strength to make tough decisions. Resident Ellen Beans, of Moraga Citizens Network, praised her enthusiasm, her accessibility and her support of events such as the California Independent Film Festival.
Beans described Harpham as the heart of the team that worked on the Revenue Enhancement Committee task force, where he manifested his conviction of the council's moral obligation to inform residents about the reality of situations. Many speakers pointed to Harpham as the moral compass of the council. His wit, vast culture, intellectual honesty and deep voice will be missed.
Mike Metcalf, who won re-election, and new council members Roger Wykle and Phil Arth were sworn in. The reconstituted council then turned its attention to the election of the mayor and vice mayor. In a slightly cautious tone, Keimach indicated that the tradition had been to rotate the mayor's position according to who received the highest number of votes in the general election. Last year there was there a break from that tradition, but this time around it was upheld as a unanimous vote by the council sent Trotter to the mayor's seat and installed Ken Chew as vice mayor.
Read more about Mayor Trotter and his goals for the town in our first issue of 2013, which will be delivered Jan. 2.

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