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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
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| Former Claremont mayor Peter Yao congratulates newly appointed mayor Ellen Taylor during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Councilmember Corey Calaycay was selected as Mayor Pro Tem. |
Council appoints new mayor, votes against new salons
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Council Reorganization
A city council shakeup saw Ellen Taylor take over the helm as the new mayor of Claremont, a title she will carry throughout the next year. Corey Calaycay will become Mayor Pro Tem.
“I believe that being appointed mayor is a great honor, and I would like to thank my fellow council members,” Ms. Taylor said. “I appreciate their support and hope to live up to their expectations.”
After receiving the nomination, Ms. Taylor listed several goals that she would like to see the city council accomplish during her tenure as mayor. The lengthy list included: finding one or more locations for affordable housing complexes, crafting an ordinance on “mansionization,” finding a location for a new police station and beginning to work on funding issues, adding more lighted sports fields, repairing and enlarging senior centers, acquiring more hillside land, solving the Village parking problem, continuing to work on economic development programs, redeveloping the Peppertree shopping center and attracting a food market for south Claremont.
“Now you may think that’s a lot for us to do in a year,” Ms. Taylor said. “But I can tell you with the support and cooperation of our council and the continued hard work of our staff, I think these are doable.”
The Tuesday council meeting marked the end of consecutive terms as mayor for councilmember Peter Yao. He received flowers, a plaque and certificates from California Assemblyman Anthony Adams and State Senator Bob Margett.
Ms. Taylor also took the opportunity to address what she called the “Girl Scout cookie saga,” after a recent confrontation with some Girl Scouts troop leaders, whose girls were selling cookies on the sidewalk outside of her office. She reiterated that her actions were out of concern for the girl’s safety and that of passing motorists.
“I was very concerned that [the girl’s] actions would distract drivers and cause another accident,” Ms. Taylor explained. “I did not want the girls to be hurt. I acted like a mother, a mother hen perhaps, when I addressed the Girl Scout leader directly. I am sorry that my comments were misconstrued. I had no intention of disparaging the Girl Scouts.”
“I have since spoken to a Scout Troop leader and explained my rationale, and she seemed to understand. I even offered to buy cookies from her but she said that her troop had no more cookies to sell. So, audience, I am still in the market for some Thin Mints,” she quipped.
Ms. Taylor and Mr. Calaycay will keep their positions throughout the following year. Both will be up for re-election to the city council in March of 2009. (story continues below)
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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
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| Newly appointed mayor Ellen Taylor presents former mayor Peter Yao with a gift Tuesday evening shortly after accepting the position as Claremont’s new mayor. |
Prohibition revisited
The city council approved an ordinance that will bar new salons from entering prime locations in the Village. Arguing that it will maintain the vitality and balance among amenities offered in the Village, the council voted unanimously in favor of the plan.
The decision will prohibit new beauty-care businesses, such as hair, nail, skin and tanning salons or day spas from taking over ground level retail spots with street-front windows. The ban would not prohibit the businesses from entering second story spaces or more hidden locations in the area.
The ordinance required a supermajority vote from the council due to a negative recommendation on it from the planning commission. In reviewing the ordinance, some planning commissioners felt it was not the role of the government to interfere in business affairs.
Several members from the public spoke in favor of the plan, including Village retail merchants and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.
Only one woman, a Village salon owner, spoke out against the ordinance, arguing that it was unfair to potential entrepreneurs or current salon owners who might want to expand their businesses.
The ordinance mirrors a requirement in the Village Expansion that prohibits beauty-care businesses from operating in ground-level locations. The city also instituted a similar ordinance in the 1980s against office space businesses after they were threatening to overrun the Village.
Mayor Pro Tem Corey Calaycay said he wanted to add a clause to the ordinance that would require the council to review its impact and effectiveness after 2 years of implementation. The rest of the council agreed.
The council voted 4 to 0 in favor. Mayor Ellen Taylor did not take part in the discussion, as she owns some property in the Village.
—Tony Krickl
