Heads - You Lose!

After about an hour or so of listening to the residents of Sierra Madre who had come down to participate in the democratic process, making often impassioned speeches stating the reasons why they thought our next mayor should be Council Member Joe Mosca or Mayor Pro Tem Maryann MacGillivray, Council Member Don Watts ultimately decided that neither the opinions of the electorate nor the democratic process would have the final say in selecting the mayor. Watts, the self-acknowledged swing vote on the decision, told the people of Sierra Madre that he had made his choice based on the flip of a lucky nickel that he has had for 42 years, since he found it under the bed he slept on above a torpedo while serving in the Navy. The coin toss came up heads, and Watts said that in a previous conversation he had asked Mosca whether he wanted to be heads or tails. Mosca had replied tails. So Watts voted for MacGillivray as Mayor, along with MacGillivray and outgoing Mayor Kurt Zimmerman. Mayor MacGillivray then nominated the coin-tossing Councilman to be our Mayor Pro Tem, and the Council voted unanimously to make Watts the City's second in command elected official. No, this is not April fools. It's the current state of Sierra Madre politics.

Santa Anita Park to Host Chamber Breakfast Mixer, Facility Tour

The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce April Mixer will be held at Santa Anita Park in the Baldwin Conference room on Thursday, April 9th at 7:30am. The Baldwin Conference room includes views of morning workouts which will be taking place at the same time. Attendees will have a chance to observe some of the horses at the track being put through their paces as they enjoy the continental breakfast provided by Santa Anita Park.

Guests should enter off Baldwin Ave. at Gate 8, and follow the signs that will lead the way to the mixer. Gate 8 will be the only accessible entry into the park at that hour of the morning, so it is critical that guests use that entrance.

Sierra Madre’s 2007 Citizen of the Year Pete Siberell is the invited guest speaker. Siberell also sits on the Sierra Madre Library Board of Trustees, is Chairman of the Mt. Wilson Trail Race Committee, and serves as president of the Sierra Madre Little League. Outside Sierra Madre, Siberell is on the Board of Directors for the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, and is involved with the Methodist Hospital Foundation and the Arcadia Chapter of the Red Cross.

In addition to Siberell, if work schedules allow, Santa Anita horsemen may also stop by. Following the breakfast, Santa Anita Special Event Coordinator Elizabeth Booth will lead interested mixer attendees on a tour of the facility that will last about half an hour. The mixer will end at 9pm, with the facility tour to begin at that time.

Cost to attend the mixer is $10 for Chamber members, $15 for non-members. A business card drawing will be held featuring prizes donated by Chamber members.