DEL MAR — The Del Mar City Council last week voted for Dwight Worden to serve as the mayor of Del Mar for the next year. The council also voted for Tracy Martinez to serve as the new deputy mayor.
The city’s five council members rotate the positions of mayor and deputy mayor every year in December. Both Worden and Martinez will serve in these positions until December 2022.
“In choosing the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, it is the tradition of the City Council to place the two highest vote-getters in any one election into a queue to rotate into the position of Mayor and Deputy Mayor,” said the city staff report.
Worden, who served as city attorney from 1977-83, was appointed to the council in 2014. He previously served as mayor from 2017-18.
Martinez is a health care executive and registered nurse who was elected in 2020 for her first term on the council.
At the meeting on Dec. 13, the council expressed their appreciation for outgoing mayor Terry Gaasterland who just completed her first one-year term as mayor since joining the council in 2018.
Worden read the resolution, crafted by Gaasterland’s fellow councilmembers, which highlighted Gaasterland’s accomplishments and notable initiatives during her term, including that she was the first mayor in the city’s history to serve an entire term with virtual meetings.
“It’s been an honor to serve as Del Mar mayor for 2021,” Gaasterland said. “As we entered 2021, Del Mar faced challenges that seemed nearly insurmountable… the hallmark of this council has been to seek solutions to our challenges and do it in ways that are good for Del Mar. We need to keep working together as a team to solve problems as we go forward.”
Gaasterland commended her fellow councilmembers for working together on updating the housing element, navigating the COVID-19 crisis and a difficult economic year.
She added that they will have challenges ahead, including the ongoing effort to stabilize the bluffs, navigating the NCTD fencing project, dealing with the sea level rise, accessory dwelling units and more.
The council also heard a presentation from San Diego Gas & Electric on the Del Mar Reconfiguration Project, which includes the installation of one mile of underground line in Via de la Valle. An update to the 6th Cycle Housing Element was also approved.
