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Politics & Government

New City Council Installed, Brucker Becomes Mayor

Barry Brucker becomes mayor, Willie Brien becomes vice mayor and Lili Bosse and Julian Gold join John Mirisch as council members.

A new Beverly Hills City Council was installed Tuesday evening as Barry Brucker became mayor, Willie Brien was named vice mayor and Lili Bosse and Julian Gold joined John Mirisch as council members.

Bosse, a former chair, and Gold, a former Commission member, replaced outgoing Mayor Jimmy Delshad and outgoing Councilwoman Nancy Krasne. The positions of mayor and vice mayor are rotated yearly.

Brucker used the ceremony to outline what he said would be four priorities of his administration: maintaining safety and security; reducing the city’s carbon footprint; maintaining a strong economy; and promoting tolerance and respect.

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“My aim is to make our city one of the safest in the country,” Brucker told an audience of about 500 residents at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the .

Following up on a predominant complaint during the recent , Brucker said he would work to make it easier for both residents and homeowners to do business in the city. A new task force led by Vice Mayor Brien and former Planning Commissioner Noah Furie will look at ways to streamline project approvals and make city government more efficient.

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Brucker said he hopes to integrate technology more into city services. “Citizens should be able to track the progress of city projects in real time,” he said.

Other council members also touched upon the theme of making Beverly Hills a more attractive place to conduct business. Brien said he aims to have a process in place within the next six months that will respond to restaurant applicants within 70 days of submitting a complete application.

Bosse, who becomes only the 10th woman to serve on the City Council, noted, “Residents feel that there is too much red tape…let’s make Beverly Hills the city of yes.”

Gold stressed the pressing financial challenges facing the city with high pension obligations ahead and a slowing economy: “We must deal with the difficult issues facing us now.”

A commemorative video was shown highlighting Delshad’s career and his eight years on the council. The video noted the national and international attention Deslshad received as the highest-ranking Iranian-American politician in the country during his first stint as mayor in 1996.

Krasne cried as she recalled her 17 years of service to the city. She offered what she described as "unsolicited advice" to Bosse and Gold.

“If it doesn’t make sense to you, don’t vote for it....Think to yourself, ‘What would Nancy do?’ ” Krasne said, bringing laughter to the audience.

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