WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Thursday, May 7, the City of West Hollywood announced that the swearing-in of Lindsey P. Horvath and John Heilman as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempere respectively will be held on May 18.

An Oath of Office ceremony will be carried out during the City’s annual City Council Reorganization and Installation meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 18. The meeting will be held virtually due to social distancing guidelines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Horvath’s Oath will be administered by a “special guest”, while Heilman’s will be executed by West Hollywood City Clerk Yvonne Quarker. Country music singer/songwriter Chely Wright will perform the national anthem, and former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and playwright V (previously known as Eve Ensler) will host video presentations. Regular council meeting proceedings will follow, and the session will conclude with a live DJ set by DJ Asha.

A statement from the City Council takes note of Horvath’s accomplishments and work experience:

“Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on March 3, 2015. She previously served as a Councilmember for two years from 2009 to 2011. Mayor Horvath has a long history of civic and social justice advocacy. She has spearheaded policies to make West Hollywood an “Age-Friendly Community” to better serve residents of all ages. She also led the City to become the first in the nation to impose financial sanctions on Arizona for its discriminatory, anti-immigration SB-1070 law. Mayor Horvath created the first-ever West Hollywood Community Response Team to Domestic Violence. Mayor Horvath is widely known for her leadership on women’s issues and has served as a Global Coordinator for One Billion Rising, a global campaign of the V-Day movement to end violence against women and girls. She is also a champion of LGBTQ rights. She has also served as a Board member of the Victory Fund and a founding Board member of the NOH8 Campaign. In 2009, she represented the City of West Hollywood in the National Equality March in Washington DC. Read more about Mayor Horvath here: https://www.weho.org/city-government/city-council/councilmembers/mayor-pro-tempore-lindsey-p-horvath.”

The statement provides similar details about Heilman:

“Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman was active in the incorporation of the City of West Hollywood. He was elected to the City’s first City Council in November 1984. Mayor Pro Tempore Heilman was chosen as the City’s second Mayor in 1985. He also served as Mayor in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, and 2010. He was most recently reelected to the City Council in March 2017 and chosen as Mayor in May 2017. Since his earliest days on the City Council, one of Mayor Pro Tempore Heilman’s strongest concerns has been affordable housing. Mayor Pro Tempore Heilman was instrumental in the establishment of the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, a City-funded organization which develops affordable housing in West Hollywood. He also helped develop the City’s landmark Rent Stabilization Ordinance and inclusionary housing policy. Read more about Mayor Pro Tempore Heilman here: https://www.weho.org/city-government/city-council/councilmembers/councilmember-john-heilman.”

Community members who would like to comment on agenda items can do so at www.weho.org/councilagendas before 4:00 p.m. on May 18. These will be sent to the City Council and published on the City’s website in the official meeting record. 

Those who would like to be added to the public speaker list are encouraged to email Yvonne Quarker their name, phone number from which they will be calling, and which item they want to speak on at yquarker@weho.org before the meeting. They are then asked to dial-in to (669) 900-6833 and enter the passcode 941 8875 1501# at 5:20 p.m.

The official announcement can be viewed here.