[KHTS] Marsha McLean passed the torch to the now Mayor Bob Kellar and Mayor Pro Tem Dante Acosta Tuesday evening at a city council reorganization special meeting.

After a unanimous vote from the Santa Clarita City Council, Kellar was announced as the new mayor of Santa Clarita.

“I’m obviously very pleased and honored to have the opportunity to be the mayor again. We’ve got a very busy year planned and a lot of exciting improvements and programs and so forth available for us this forthcoming year. I’m looking forward to working with everybody, including the community and continuing to move forward and make this city the best city we can make it.”

Before handing the gavel to the Santa Clarita City Clerk, McLean gave an outgoing speech, highlighting a number of accomplishments she has accomplished being mayor for 2015.

Accomplishments McLean noted included topics such as the high speed rail, the Golden Valley Road extension, beautification projects including the increase in parks throughout Santa Clarita and the Newhall post office.

“I am so proud of our city, our city staff, our city manager and our city council for being able to have these things happen in one short year,” said McLean. “This year has been a very, very busy year… I’m very proud to have served as your mayor this past year with all of these wonderful achievements and I look forward to sitting back a little bit and serving as your councilmember as I have in the past.”

Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Striplin thanked McLean for her “dedication and service” to the city as mayor.

“Your hard work on behalf of the city of Santa Clarita is reflected in (your) many accomplishments,” Striplin said. “You have spent countless hours serving this community each and every day… You have done an incredible job representing Santa Clarita.”

A number of recognitions were also given to McLean by Assemblyman Scott Wilk, Vanessa Wilk on behalf of Sen. Sharon Runner and Dave Perry on behalf of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, among others.

McLean then turned in the gavel to the city clerk, who then opened nominations for mayor.

After being announced as the new mayor, Kellar noted a variety of topics he would like to address, including the clean up of the Whittaker-Bermite site, CEMEX, and the opening of a new sheriff’s station and senior center, among others.

“We’re going to a lot of groundbreakings and I’m really looking forward to the ribbon cuttings because that’s when we get to open up the doors and put these good programs and things in place,” Kellar said.

Kellar then opened nominations for a new mayor pro-tem.

Eighteen speakers voiced their opinions on who they believed should be the new mayor pro-tem, all in favor of Councilman TimBen Boydston.

Eleven written comment cards were turned in as well, all favoring Boydston.

However, the City Council voted 4-1 to appoint Dante Acosta as the new mayor pro-tem for 2016.

“It’s really an honor. It’s almost hard to believe that I’m in line in succession to the third largest city in L.A. County to be the mayor and represent this community,” said Acosta. “It represents the rest of the council, the majority council’s view of someone they want to go out and represent them in the community and at the rest of the area at large.”

Acosta also noted he wants to be involved in different organizations throughout Southern California, and nationally as well.

“(I want to) be able to represent the community well and I’m proud to do that,” Acosta said. “It’s really an honor.”