August 10, 2012 09:55 PM UTC

Susman Elected City Council President

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• by: Colorado Pols

Denver City Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman has been elected by her peers to serve as City Council president, succeeding Chris Nevitt who held the post for two years. District 11 Councilman Chris Herndon is the new president pro-tem.

From the Denver City Council:

(DENVER) The Denver City Council has announced that Mary Beth Susman has been elected to the position of President, and Christopher Herndon has been elected to the position of President Pro-tem. Council members Susman and Herndon replace outgoing President, Councilman Chris Nevitt, and Pro-tem, Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann, who served in these posts since July 2010.

Councilwoman Susman joined City Council in July 2011 after being elected from District 5. Prior to running for City Council, Ms. Susman was the Vice President of the Colorado Community College System and a longtime community leader.

Commenting on her election, Councilwoman Susman said, “I am honored to serve my fellow council members and our city in this way and look forward to a productive and collegial year for all of us.”

Councilman Herndon was elected to the City Council in July 2011 from District 11. A 1999 West Point graduate and Iraqi veteran, Mr. Herndon served for nearly seven years in the United States Army. Before joining Council, he worked in various managerial positions for United Airlines and Walmart.

“I’m very excited to serve as City Council President Pro-Tem. I look forward to working with President Susman over the next year and thank my colleagues for the vote of confidence,” said Councilman Herndon regarding his appointment.

Although Nevitt made a bid for a record third term as president, the majority of the Council backed Susman, not necessarily because of any criticisms against Nevitt but instead in deference to the traditional (though unofficial) two term limit for Council presidents.

Still, elected just last year, Susman has less experience on Council than any president in recent memory. Former Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth had served for over three years when she took the president’s office in 2003, as had Chris Nevitt and Councilman (and now Mayor) Michael Hancock. District 10 Councilwoman Jeanne Robb had to wait five years before being elected to the top spot.

There’s no question that Susman is qualified to lead the chamber by dint of her experience in the Colorado Community College bureaucracy, but it’s still peculiar that she’s the titular head of the body after just a year in office. To put that into perspective, that’s an eleventh of the amount of time Charlie Brown has served on Council in total.