Collins Sworn in as Fountain Valley's New Mayor

At Fountain Valley City Hall on Tuesday night, John Collins was sworn in as the new Mayor of Fountain Valley. Outgoing Mayor Steve Nagel shared his thoughts on his year of service to the community and was thanked for his work by the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"We appreciate all you've done for us," said Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors President Mary Parsons. 

FV Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beverly White said, "It was also my pleasure to work with you all year, especially on your Mayor's Ball. So I'd like to present to you...your official Mayor's Ball picture and also a picture with your parents."

Collins expressed his thanks to Nagel for the work he had done throughout the year for the city.

"You have contributed greatly to the progress of the city," he said. "There were some very trying and intense moments obviously. You did a terrific job, and you brought a lot of expertise and a lot of class...thank you very much."

Nagel then spoke to the crowd.

"First of all," said Nagel, "as I conclude my term as Mayor, I especially want to thank the residents of Fountain Valley for the opportunity to serve as Mayor for 2011 and on the City Council for the last three years. I cannot thank my family enough for their love and support."

"I also want to thank my council colleagues," Nagel said,"for their tolerance, input and support during the last 12 months."

Nagel also thanked City Manager Ray Kromer and his staff. In addition, he thanked all city employees for keeping Fountain Valley "safe, clean and operating efficiently and effectively." 

Nagel expressed his pride in everyone working to create a balanced budget.

"For the past fiscal year," said Nagel, "...we had $1.3 million in excess which went into our reserve balance bringing that to $24 million which not many cities in Orange County or anywhere in the nation can say that. Thank you so much for helping keep Fountain Valley a nice place to live, work and play."

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach administered the oath of office to newly elected Mayor Collins.

"It is indeed a unique honor," said Collins, "that accompanies the title of being Mayor of this city. Over the past few years, Fountain Valley along with all other Orange County cities has faced many challenges mostly financial and economically driven. Because of the dedication of our city council for all those years and the high professional standards of our forward thinking management staff and employees, we have been recognized as a leader in the problem solving of those things while maintaining high standards for our residents."

Council member Mark McCurdy was voted to the position of Mayor Pro Tem.