By Tony Cantú
Contributing Writer

The longtime mayor of Olmos Park may be stepping down this year, but the new chief of City Hall is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

Veteran City Council member Ron Tefteller – mayor pro tem for the past decade – is running unchallenged for the mayoral post to be vacated once Mayor Gerald Dubinski steps down this year. But after a fashion – even without opposition – Tefteller said he plans to go on the stump.

“I’m still going to meet with residents and walk through the community starting in April,” Tefteller said. “I want to stay fully connected to citizens. I enjoy seeing everyone.”

A councilman since 1996, Tefteller said he hopes to shepherd major municipal projects – including new City Hall construction and central business district revitalization. But as mayor, he also plans on instilling business practices to City Hall – including pre-budget sessions to prioritize expenditures.

“I’ll be asking the council, in addition to folks on boards and committees, to have a pre-budget planning meeting this year so we can fully discuss various ideas for the community and prioritize them prior to going into the budget season,” he said. “Obviously, where you spend your money reflects priorities. That would be something new, but in past years the council has been very fiscally conservative.”

Indeed, methodical planning has allowed for Phase I of a new city complex – construction of a new edifice across the street from existing city quarters at 119 W. El Prado Drive – with readily available city funds, he noted.

“At this point in time, we have sufficient unencumbered reserves to build the first building,” he said. “We’ll have to examine where we are financially for the second building which will house the fire department, but we’ve had excellent people on the council who have stayed focused.”

He credited past council members Ron Hermann, Bob Price and John LeFlore with fostering that fiscal philosophy, particularly a nearly complete multimillion-dollar road infrastructure project that required voter-approved bonds.

He cited the staging of town hall meetings for public input into new city quarters as another instance where public input was added to the decision-making mix. He intends to retain that delicate balance – juxtaposing corporate thinking coupled with community consensus – as mayor, he said.

“That combination partly reflects the people elected to the council and we have folks that have the best intentions of the community who want to make the right decisions in a fiscally responsible manner,” he said.

More than just a bricks-and-mortar project, he sees the new City Hall as an extension of his pledge: “The first obligation of city government is to deliver core services residents need in the most cost-efficient way possible. We need to provide adequate facilities for our employees for our employees because they’re the ones who deliver those core services.”

Despite the timing of his mayoral pursuit – as Dubinski prepares to step down – and the fact he’s been the outgoing mayor’s right-hand-man for the past decade, Tefteller suggested mayoral ascendancy is no mere succession.

“This wasn’t so much a question as to what he was deciding to do, but I had determined this was the right time for me to seek this lead role,” he said. “Certainly, my hat is off to him for his dedication and long years of service – it’s unprecedented. It’s simply the right time for me.

“I look forward to working with council, city staff and residents to continue to enhance our community.”