Changing of the guard as newcomers join the Lemoore City Council

Eddie Neal, elected to a second term on Nov. 8, after garnering the most votes, was joined by newcomers Holly Blair and Dave Brown in a ceremony that took place near the end of Tuesday night’s last council meeting for Mayor Lois Wynne and Billy Siegel.

Ray Madrigal was elected mayor Tuesday night.

Photo by Bill Burris, Photography for Kings County

Wynne decided not to run for a second term while Siegel completed two terms on the Lemoore City Council, his second plagued by several issues, including a failed recall attempt and his removal from the mayor’s seat.

Following the swearing-in of the new council, the full council then elected two-year councilmember Ray Madrigal as mayor. Councilmembers Eddie Neal and Jeff Chedester voted for Madrigal while newcomers Brown and Blair voted against him.

Madrigal, a former California Highway Patrol commander, said he was honored by his selection. “I look really look forward to serving this community and doing the best job I can as mayor,” he said. “Lemoore has been my home for most of my life and I’m just proud that I can serve it in this capacity.”

Neal was somewhat circumspect in his thoughts about a second term. “My goal is to keep Lemoore moving in a positive direction,” he said. “I think that as long as we work with the community and do what’s best for the community, I think everything will turn out for the best for our town.”

What did Neal take from his first term on the council?  “It’s always a good thing when you learn something every day. Every time I come to a city council meeting I learn something. I also learned that there’s always two sides to a coin,” he said, “and that’s how I deal with my job. You have to always look at both sides.”

Brown, a former Lemoore planning commissioner, said he is looking forward to serving Lemoore. “As I stated even when I was running in my campaign it’s all for the people, the people of Lemoore because we’re all one big team. I’m here for the people and I want to do the people’s business and that’s my agenda.”