Council Welcomes New Member, Selects New Mayor & Vice Mayor

At the Dec. 10 Concord City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Carlyn Obringer was sworn in to her third Council term, and Councilmember Pablo Benavente took the oath of office for his first term.

In the Nov. 5 general election, Obringer and Benavente both ran in contested races. Obringer (District 2) was re-elected to Council, and Benavente (District 4) was elected to fill the seat held by outgoing Mayor Edi Birsan.

The newly seated Council also selected Obringer as Mayor and Councilmember Laura Nakamura (District 5) as Vice Mayor for the year ahead. Councilmember Dominic Aliano (District 3) and Councilmember Laura Hoffmeister (District 1) round out the full Council.

All councilmembers and several members of the community recognized and thanked Birsan for his 12 years of service on the City Council and for his leadership as Mayor.

In her remarks, Mayor Obringer highlighted what she foresees as the work ahead for the City Council.

"We have a variety of areas where we've made progress, but there is much more work to do," she said, noting that roadway improvements, public safety, addressing homelessness, economic development and redevelopment of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station will be top priorities in 2025.

Read the full press release.