Yakima City Council Elects Mayor, Assistant Mayor

The city of Yakima has a new mayor. The Yakima City Council Tuesday voted Avina Gutiérrez as mayor and Holly Cousens as assistant mayor. It was the first official meeting of the newly elected Yakima City Council.
Although the mayor position is ceremonial, the mayor does make more money than other members of the council. The mayor gets $16,500 while council members make $12,900 annually.
In its first official business, the new council voted 4-3 to support a Yakima School District levy that will be on the November ballot.
The next order of business will be to choose a search firm to help the city find a new city manager after the resignation of former City Manager Tony O'Rourke on Dec. 31.