SANTA CLARA — The Santa Clara City Council welcomed its two newest members Wednesday with a swearing-in ceremony during the regular City Council meeting.
Newly-elected Wendell Gubler and Ben Shakespeare both placed their right hands over their hearts and promised to uphold the Constitution of the United States as well as to uphold and perform their duties as City Council members before taking their seats on the council.
Santa Clara Mayor Rick Rosenberg was also sworn into another term as mayor after running unopposed in the 2017 municipal election.
Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, Rosenberg thanked outgoing council members Jerry Amundsen and Ken Sizemore for their years of service to Santa Clara. Sizemore was on the 2017 ballot, but he was not re-elected.
Sizemore was given a particular vote of thanks for his work in bringing the veterans monument at the Santa Clara Cemetery to fruition.
Amundsen did not seek re-election and was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting.
Both Shakespeare and Gubler look forward to serving the community of Santa Clara, they said.
“I think we’re going to hit the ground running,” Shakespeare said of his first day on the council.
Though Gubler has many years experience serving the community in various capacities – he spent 16 years on the Washington County School District Board of Education and several years as a volunteer on the Santa Clara Planning and Zoning Commission – he said that being a council member is something new that he has not done before.
Santa Clara’s growth was a primary focus for both new council members as they prepared for their first meeting.
Gubler hopes to be able to see Santa Clara continue to grow in the coming years but hopes that growth comes with wisdom and is done on an even keel, he said.
“I think it’s going to be a great many years for Santa Clara,” Shakespeare said, adding that he believes he will be a good voice for voters on the future growth of the city.
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