Chris Watson, formerly president of the Truesdale Board of Aldermen, has been appointed as the city’s mayor following the death of Mayor Murray Bruer. Watson was appointed during a special meeting …
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Alderman named Truesdale mayor
Posted
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
Chris Watson, formerly president of the Truesdale Board of Aldermen, has been appointed as the city’s mayor following the death of Mayor Murray Bruer.Watson was appointed during a special meeting of the board. He will serve as mayor until the April 2018 municipal election, when voters will decide who fulfills the final year of Bruer’s two-year term.Bruer passed away on July 2. Watson said under the circumstances, he has mixed feelings about his new position.“I was close to Murray,” Watson said. “He mentored me a lot, and I learned a lot from him. Being put in this position was unexpected.”Watson said he plans to continue Bruer’s vision for the growth of the community. He expressed admiration for Bruer’s passion and the way the late mayor always put the community first. Those are qualities Watson said he intends to carry on.Board seat filledOne person cannot legally serve as both mayor and an alderman. With Watson moving into the city’s executive position, his seat was vacant and needed to be filled.Enter Mike Thomas, host of the news program “Livewire,” on local radio station KWRE.Thomas has been a resident of the growing Heritage Hills subdivision in Truesdale since February 2016. City officials contacted Thomas about the alderman position because he had become active in planning to establish a future subdivision authority in his neighborhood.“As a homeowner, I wanted to keep (the neighborhood) nice,” Thomas said. “I’m not a fan of rules and guidelines, but said they are sometimes necessary for the sake of the community as a whole.”Thomas said accepting the position on the board of aldermen is another way he can represent his neighborhood.“The Heritage Hills area is one of the fastest-growing sections of Truesdale . . . but there’s no representation from that community on the board of aldermen,” he said.“The last thing I expected when I came in Wednesday morning was to be on the board of aldermen Wednesday night. It was an honor, and if I can help out I will.”Thomas was sworn into office at the city’s regular board of aldermen meeting July 12. The board accepted his appointment with a 3-0 vote.The board then had to decide on a new president, since former-president Watson has become the mayor.Alderman Stanley Brook-shier nominated Robert Green, who until recently was the newest member of the board of aldermen. The other members approved that nomination unanimously.“I appreciate your confidence in me,” Green said.
MAYOR WATSON — Newly appointed Mayor Chris Watson addresses the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce during a gathering July 11. Submitted photo.
