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Duarte City Council selects new mayor and mayor pro tem
San Gabriel Valley Dec 14, 2023
Mayor Vinh Truong and Mayor Pro Tem Cesar A. Garcia. | Photo courtesy of City of Duarte
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Tuesday, the Duarte City Council selected Vinh Truong, of District 2, to represent Duarte as mayor and Cesar A. Garcia, of District 6, as mayor pro tem.
“General Colin Powell once said ‘Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.’ Everybody does deserve an opportunity, but when we sit here on this dias, that opportunity is for our constituents and our residents, not for us. I believe that is who I am and who I will continue to be.” said newly appointed Mayor Truong. “ Not only do I have all of Duarte to represent but I have to represent my kids and my wife at home.”
Truong’s family migrated from Vietnam to the United States in the late 1970s and settled in Duarte in 1985. He has held a seat on the Duarte Economic Development Commission and served as a board member of the Santa Anita Family YMCA. In 2019, Truong was appointed to Duarte’s Financial Advisory Task Force, which allowed him to learn about the city’s financial condition.
Garcia was appointed by the City Council to fill the District 6 vacancy in December 2021. Garcia was raised in the City of Duarte and his family has lived in Duarte for over 27 years.
“To be able to sit here with the rest of my colleagues is truly a full circle moment for me. I always knew I would continue to serve my community but I never thought at this capacity,” said newly appointed Mayor Pro Tem Garcia. “The greatest lesson my family ever taught me was how to serve others. It feels really good to be serving this community because of my family’s history with Duarte. My grandparents bought their first home here, my parents met at Mike’s Food, and this is also where I met my wife. I am humbled and will continue to serve this community in any capacity.”
A representative from the office of Senator Susan Rubio presented Councilmember Jody Schulz with certificates from Senator Rubio and Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio thanking her for her service as Duarte’s mayor.
“This has been a tremendous honor and one of the most profound things I’ve done professionally,” said Councilmember Schulz. “The amount that I’ve learned about myself, others, government, the residents and the connections I’ve been able to make with the residents in the community is something I’ll cherish forever.”
