Carol Chen Elected Cerritos Mayor, Jim Edwards Named Mayor Pro Tem

By Jerry Bernstein

Carol Chen and Jim Edwards were elected Cerritos Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem respectively Mar. 16 in the Mayoral Transition and Oath of Office for newly elected councilmembers held in the Cerritos Council Chamber Mar. 16.
Addressing a standing room only audience, Chen said she would continue to work with the council and city staff to bring new businesses to Cerritos and continue to work diligently to safeguard the City’s financial reserve while maintaining the many public services and programs Cerritos residents have enjoyed over the years.
Chen was elected to the City Council in 2008 to the seat previously occupied by Councilman John Crawley who resigned. She previously served on the City’s Planning Commission, Property Preservation Commission and Community Safety Committee. Chen was re-elected to a full four year term on the City Council in 2009.
On Mar. 8 Bruce W. Barrows and Joseph Cho, Ph.D. were re-elected to the council and former ABC school board member Mark Pulido was elected for the first time to the council. All three were sworn into office during the Council’s annual reorganization meeting and mayoral transition on March 16. During the ceremony, Former Mayor Laura Lee was also honored at the meeting for her contributions to the community during her eight years on the City Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Edwards was first elected to the City Council in 2005 andpreviously served on the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission and Community Safety Committee. Edwards was re-elected in 2009 and has served one term as mayor.
Councilmember and outgoing mayor Joseph Cho, Ph.D. has served on the Council since 2007. He is an active member of the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce and is the founder and a member of the Mid-Cities Korean American Chamber of Commerce.
Councilmember Bruce W. Barrows has served on the Council since 2007. He previously served on the City Council from 1994 to 2003, and has served three terms as mayor.
First-time Councilmember Mark Pulido has a long history of community involvement, including serving on the ABC Unified School Board from 2001 to 2011. He is currently employed as the District Director for State Senator Alan Lowenthal.
Pulido thanked all his supporters by name for their hard work during the campaign and the many families, including his own, who volunteered their time. This caused the Supervisor Knabe to quip “No wonder you received more than 5,000 votes, your family numbers 5,000.” This brought a large laugh from the packed chamber, many who were Pulido supporters.
Pulido said he would work hard to merit the voter’s confidence in him and he was there for them. “I am your councilmember,” he stated.