Monday night saw the final Healdsburg City Council meeting of the year, which got underway even as the official ribbon-cutting inauguration of the Foley Family Trust Community Pavilion continued across the street.
The evening’s agenda was relatively simple and forward-looking: Receive Fiscal Year 2025-26 City Council Goal Update, assign council members to regional advisory boards, and select the new mayor and vice mayor for the coming calendar year.
It would be an exaggeration to say all eyes were on that mayoral selection. It’s so standard as to be commonplace that the vice mayor is elevated to the mayor’s seat without much controversy, and Herrod has been a steady second to Mayor Evelyn Mitchell all year. Mitchell accepted the gratitude of the other council members and pointed to the multiple groundbreakings, proclamations and redistricting that occurred at least in part during her tenure.
Edwards nominated Chris Herrod as the mayor for the upcoming year, and with his second Hagele nominated Edwards to serve as vice mayor. Both acknowledged they would accept the positions, and the vote of the council was unanimous.
Said Herrod, “I’m truly humbled and honored to become Healdsburg’s mayor, and sincerely grateful for your trust in me. I respect each of you very much, and I promise to support and maintain the productivity, the collaborative spirit and the integrity which I believe are the hallmarks of this council.”
Edwards, who last year turned away a nomination for vice mayor, seemed ready to accept the responsibility now. “My commitment to the residents of Healdsburg is to remain an ever-present representative,” he said. “I value transparency and engagement, and I promise to continue being accessible and attentive to our residents’ needs.”
The two will be sworn in at the next City Council meeting on Jan. 20, 2026, and begin their year-long term of office then.
City Manager Jeff Kay made another announcement—that the city had hired a new public information and community engagement officer, with a name familiar to readers of The Healdsburg Tribune: Ray Holley. His first day on the job was Monday, and he maintained a visible presence at the ribbon-cutting at the Community Pavilion.
“My job with the city is to support our staff, our council and our community by providing accurate, timely and useful information that helps our community stay informed about their local government,” Holley said. He was most recently communications director for the Sonoma County Library system.
