Cedar Park elected officials to be sworn in; council to discuss Place 1 vacancy

New mayor Jim Penniman-Morin and re-elected Council Members Mel Kirkland, Eric Boyce and Heather Jefts will be sworn into office at the May 25 Cedar Park City Council meeting.

Penniman-Morin was previously elected to serve on Place 1 of the council in 2021. He ran for mayor in the May 7 election and beat his two other opponents with 59.84% of the votes, according to unofficial election results.

“I’m thrilled with the high turnout in our city election and grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me as Cedar Park’s next mayor,” Penniman-Morin said. “Every member of our City Council shares the view that the more people who are engaged with our city, the stronger Cedar Park will be.”

Kirkland was first elected to serve in Place 2 on the council in 2018. From May 2019 to November 2020, he served as mayor pro tem. Then in 2020, Kirkland was re-elected to serve in Place 2 on the council. He won the race for Place 2 in the May 7 election with 69.74% of the vote.

“I look forward to continuing the projects the city is currently working on and continuing to help make Cedar Park a great place to live, work and play,” Kirkland said in the press release.

Boyce was re-elected into Place 4 after winning by 69.72% of the votes in the May 7 elections. Boyce was initially elected in 2020 to serve on Place 4 of the council, and he is serving as mayor pro tem.

Jefts was re-elected to serve in Place 6 on the council after winning the race with 68.87% of the vote in the May 7 election. Jefts initially joined the council in May 2017, when she served in Place 5 until May 2019. In November 2020, she was first elected to serve in Place 6 on the council.

The council will now consider declaring vacancy for Place 1 on the council at the May 25 meeting, according to official city documents. Council will also review and consider the procedure for filling the vacancy and the process for interviewing candidates for appointment to Place 1.