In a significant development for Fairfield's governance, the City Council has appointed former Vice Mayor Rick Vaccaro as Mayor, pending his acceptance.

This decision comes a week after the resignation of former Mayor Catherine "Cat" Moy.

City Attorney David Lim highlighted that Fairfield operates with a directly elected mayor, a structure not common across all California cities.

He explained that, under the Government Code, the directly elected mayor is one of seven council members, possessing no more authority than the others.

Following Moy's resignation, the council faced a 60-day window to appoint a successor.

Had they not made an appointment by August 9, the seat would have remained vacant until the November 3 general election.

Notably, this seat was already slated for the upcoming election, as Moy's term was set to conclude next year.

Upon Moy's departure, Vice Mayor Pam Bertani assumed the role of acting mayor.

However, Lim clarified that this did not automatically elevate her to the appointed mayor position.

He noted the lack of clear legal guidance on the procedure for such situations, describing it as "quite frankly, confusing."

Lim proposed three potential courses of action: initiating an application process, making a direct appointment based on qualifications, or leaving the seat vacant.

Council members Doug Carr, Doriss Panduro, and Scott Tonnessen emphasized the demanding schedule of the mayoral role and the benefits of an appointment to navigate upcoming challenges.

Conversely, Bertani advocated for allowing voters to elect the next mayor, stating, "I truly believe that the voters of this city should elect the next mayor. Pretty simple, pretty democratic and respectful of the voters of this city."

Carr suggested Vaccaro for the position, a nomination supported by Councilmember Manveer Sandhu.

While Councilmember K. Patrice Williams appreciated the idea, she expressed concern over Vaccaro's absence from the meeting.

Panduro highlighted Vaccaro's unifying presence and experience, noting, "Rick does that. He’s a bridge builder. He has the knowledge of what it means to be up here; he knows what it means to be up here. He is familiar with all of us. He has worked with all of us. He knows how we all work. He unites us; he is not divisive."

Vaccaro, who served on the council for 16 years starting in 2008, chose not to seek reelection and left the council in December 2024.

In other council matters, Williams addressed online misinformation regarding the Quo Warranto process.

She clarified that she initiated the motion, which was not due to corruption or other alleged reasons.

Williams explained that her decision was influenced by media reports and community conversations about Moy's residency.

She emphasized the importance of adhering to basic eligibility rules, stating, "I thought it was important, mostly because of the national temperature, high temperature now with the President. I just felt like there is so much disruption, there are so many lies, and to me it felt right that we be held accountable for just the basic rules. That we be 18, registered to vote and living within our city boundaries, just those three basics."

Williams recounted her apprehension in making the motion against Moy during a council meeting, noting her nervousness and the unexpected turn of events following Moy's resignation.

She expressed her initial expectation that the issue would be resolved quickly, stating, "I thought it would just be over really fast, and we would have that next meeting, and by this new year, it would be all over. That’s what I thought. That’s not what happened."

Extensive closed session meetings led to further deliberations, with the council seeking more information and scheduling an open session.

However, Moy's resignation hours before the session altered the course of events, leaving the council to navigate the aftermath.