At the Regular West Wendover City Council Meeting of December 6th, the newly elected Council Members chosen in the November 8th General Election, took their Oath of Office which was given by Judge Phillip Leamon.
Joining the Council will be Gabriela Soriano, John Hanson and Juan “Johnny” Gorum. Both John and Johnny have previously served as Council Members, each serving in the past. Gabriela will be beginning her first term as a City Council Member.
Departing from the Governing Board will be Council Members Ismael “Izzy” Gutierrez and Kathy Durham.
When asked about the change with City Council, City Manager Chris Melville commented, “I have been fortunate to serve the community now for 25 years and in that time, I have worked for and with 7 Mayors and countless numbers of Council Members as part of the Governing Board. Many individuals from various backgrounds and stations in life have run for local election and certainly a good number have been elected.
As a City Manager my hope always is that those elected take seriously what they have put themselves forward to do. Granted, some may say elections can be popularity contests but, in the end, the true nature of those who are called upon to serve will show through regardless of the initial intent. For the two departing Council Members I can certainly say they both stayed true to the calling for which they sought.
Kathy Durham always took her oath to serve, not only as an opportunity for, but as an obligation to the community. She showed her passion at Council Meetings but also her commitment to know the background of each and every item being considered by Council. What the facts were, the history behind it and the impacts to be considered; all in order to make the best decision possible for the city.
Though at times she lamented about my sometimes at length memos, she always ensured I knew she would rather have the whole story then just the prologue to any issue. She represented the city and the community steadfastly at any gatherings or conferences she attended as a true representative; whether that was locally or throughout Nevada or at other locations such as our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C.
Izzy Gutierrez can proudly hold the title as the longest serving Council Member to date, serving 3 terms (12 years). And, I do believe if it was not for statutory term limits, he would likely still be sitting up on the dais given his innate love to serve. I think that comes with growing up in the community which he and I both have.
I think like me he also hopes in the generations to come there will be some like-minded West Wendoverites who will pick up that mantle to serve. As a Council Member Izzy wasn’t always someone speaking at length about issues but when he spoke, he did so from his heart about the things he saw as concerns or of importance to those in the community. As he would often say to me, despite us not agreeing at times on various matters of the city, it was more about having mutual respect for the positions we both held and the roles we each played in the process of governing. I think that says it all.
For both of these individuals, I personally thank them for their commitment to serve and the working relationship we had.
As for the new Council Members, I look forward to continuing past relationships with John Hanson and Johnny Gorum both of whom I have known and worked with for decades and knowing they will apply themselves and their efforts for the betterment of the community as they always have. John previously served a full term (4 years) as Council Member and Johnny previously served 6 years.
With regard to Gabriela Soriano, I am looking forward to building a relationship of common trust, respect and goals where she knows that she can count on me and my staff to provide her the best information, advice and direction possible; so that she as part of the Governing Board can make the best possible decisions though granted at times difficult decisions.
The realization is that not everyone will always be pleased with the Governing Board’s decisions and I think the Members know this. As U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nothing worth having comes easy”. So very true, for there will always be difficult decisions and sometimes those will not be popular ones, which the Governing Board will need to make. However, it is those decisions that tend to have the greatest impact in moving our city forward.
For those leaving the Council I give my best wishes and for those joining I look forward to working with them in setting and accomplishing our goals now and in the future."
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