Mayor Tom King

By Sarah Armijo

Walnut- At the City Council meeting on Wed, June 12, Walnut Mayor Tom King announced his retirement, which will be effective July 1.

King’s announcement to leave the Council, as well as the City, came as a shock to everyone in the crowd, including the other council members.

King’s only reason for leaving is because he is moving out of town, according to the City Clerk Teresa De Dios. King said that he and his wife decided to move to a smaller house out of town and leave his beautiful one-acre property for another family to enjoy.

King has been a huge part of the Walnut community for 16 years. He was first elected to the Walnut City Council in 2002 and served twice as Mayor from July 2005 to September 2006. He was reappointed Mayor by the City Council on November 25th, 2009 for the third time and on April 24, 2013 for his fourth time. From 1999 to 2002 he served on the Planning Commission and served on the Parks and Recreation Commission from 1993-1999. He also chaired both Commissions prior to his election to the City Council.

At the June 12 Council meeting, many council members and members of the community shared their memories with King and thanked him for all the work he’s done in the City of Walnut. King told the crowd that he still plans to stay close to the City.

Now that King will be retiring, the Council has three options: have a special election, appoint someone to his seat, or keep the seat vacant, according to Management Analyst/Public Information Officer Fabiola Huerta.

Huerta said she isn’t sure which option the Council is leaning towards, but she said the Council will discuss what they’re going to do at the City Council meeting next week. Huerta also said that the public is welcome to come and give their input on what they believe the Council should do, since special elections usually cost a lot of money.

The next City Council meeting will be held on June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Council Chambers in the new City Hall located at 21201 La Puente Road.