King City has a new mayor.
Rachel Kazmierski was elected mayor by her fellow City Council members at the April 16 business meeting after a tie vote on two previous nominations. She replaces former mayor Marc Manelis who resigned March 25 after a successful recall petition against him.
Kazmierski, who won a seat on the council in the November 2024 election, said she decided to run for the council because “I saw there was a need for a voice to represent the community.”
Several former City Council members were recalled after voting in 2023 for the King City Transportation System Plan that includes extending Fischer Road into Kingston Terrace despite strong community-wide opposition.
During an April 24 interview, Kazmierski said she does not support the plan “as it was done,” and added, “We need to re-look at the Transportation System Plan, have discussions with the community and collaboratively work with the people most affected by it. The decision can be made more conscientiously because those most affected by the decision should be part of the decision and should be able to comment. Both sides of the city need to be involved in this decision.”
Kazmierski, who is a high school math teacher and has been department chair for the past six years, said she believes the role of the City Council is to represent the community. Right out of the gate after becoming mayor, she took charge of the meeting. Open forum, when the public can make comments, had been inexplicably moved to the end of the April 16 agenda along with dividing the comments between “King City residents” and “Public Guests.”
“The first thing I would like to do as mayor is move open forum up ahead of the items we are going to be voting on,” Kazmierski said at the meeting. Councilor Jessica Braverman made a motion to move up open forum on the agenda, and Councilor John Hartman seconded the motion.
“I support this motion,” Kazmierski said at the meeting. “I feel very strongly that our goal and our purpose is to work for the community. Before we can deliberate on these items on the agenda, it’s very important for me to hear from all of you. I believe that’s why you are all here is to tell us how you feel about the items we are going to vote on. If we wait until after the vote, then we have made decisions without your input, which in my opinion is not the correct process, so I will support that motion.” The motion was passed unanimously 6-0.
Kazmierski said during the interview, “The role of the City Council is to represent the people, and how do we do that if we don’t hear from them before the vote? People see what I’ve done in the last four months on the council and that I’m here to listen and hear both sides and listen to the community.”
Kazmierski said becoming mayor was “nothing I had ever envisioned, and it’s like drinking from a firehose of information. I’ve been studying proper procedure – there’s been lots of information, but it’s exciting to be out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown and stretched.”
Kazmierski and her husband John, who is a police officer with the King City Police Department, have lived in Edgewater almost 10 years and have three young children ages 10, 8 and 6.
At the April 16 council meeting, when it was time to choose a mayor, Kazmierski nominated Braverman, which was seconded by Councilor Vince Arditi; the three of them voted in favor of Braverman, while Hartman, Councilor Jan Tysoe and Council President/Mayor pro tem Denny Gelfand voted no. In the second round, Hartman nominated Tysoe for mayor, which was seconded by Gelfand; the three of them voted yes, while Arditi, Braverman and Kazmierski voted no.
Braverman then nominated Kazmierski for mayor, and Arditi seconded the motion. “Rachel understands the rules, is very calm in her approach and always comes to meetings prepared,” Braverman said. “She’s very fair-minded. I believe she has the best interests of our city and constituents in mind, so I think she would make a wonderful mayor.”
On the roll-call vote, Arditi, Braverman and Kazmierski voted yes, Hartman and Tysoe voted no, and after a pause, Gelfand voted yes, which ended the stalemate and was followed by a round of applause from the audience. Kazmierski and Gelfand changed seats and nameplates before she said, “Thank you. I’m honored obviously to be here as mayor. This is not what I was expecting today. I’m a little shaken up. I will do my best to make sure we get this done properly.”
Hartman’s late December appointment to the council is being challenged by a writ filed by Sandra Cunningham in Washington County Circuit Court alleging the city Code was not followed in appointing him, with a hearing set for May 2.
