By Brooklynn Wong
There’s a new Council in town, and they were sworn in last Tuesday night in front of a full River Arena. Candidates’ families, friends and campaign teams packed the venue to see the oaths of office administered.
And effective immediately, the city had a new Mayor and three Councilmen in Harry Sidhu, Jordan Brandman, Jose Moreno, and Trevor O’Neil.
Each individual was given the chance to bring their loved ones on stage with them to take the oath, then make remarks before taking their places among the rest of the Council.
The four aforementioned join Denise Barnes, Lucille Kring and Stephen Faessel on the Council.
Sidhu was first up and expressed his gratitude, before speaking about the value of immigrants, and the power of the “American dream.”
“What a gift [my parents] gave us to bring us to America,” he said. To be able to take office as an immigrant “in this large and vibrant city” shows “the American dream is alive and well in Anaheim,” he added.
Jordan Brandman, who will represent District 2, West Anaheim, said, “Thank you for giving me this second chance.” This is Brandman’s second go-round on City Council. He was previously elected in 2012.
Dr. Jose Moreno has served on Anaheim City Council since 2016, and was reelected last month so was sworn in again. Moreno also serves as Mayor Pro Tem. He represents District 3, which covers North-Central Anaheim. Moreno spoke extensively about his family, echoed Mayor Sidhu’s sentiments about the value that immigrants bring and his gratitude to America. His family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was four years old. He was ready to get right to work, as he ended his remarks with some requests of data for city staff to prepare, including taking a hard look at rent prices in Anaheim and what can be done to limit them.
And lastly, Trevor O’Neil was sworn in as the representative from the district that covers Anaheim Hills. He spoke about the prevalence of fire danger, and said he will make it a priority to ensure the city has the fire personnel it needs, and that he wants to reinvigorate first-responder volunteer programs and neighborhood watch.
The new Council will next meet on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m.
