A packed council chambers Wednesday evening witnessed the new leaders of Chico take the oath and sit in the chairs they’ll now be filling on the first and third Tuesdays of each month as part of the city’s council.
Three new council members were sworn in, along with the appointment of a new mayor and vice mayor.
District 1 incumbent Sean Morgan was replaced by former Chico Police Chief Mike O'Brien. The now former mayor Andrew Coolidge was replaced by Kate Hawley in District 5, and Deepika Tandon's seat was turned over to Bryce Goldstein to represent District 7.
Coolidge’s absence left the mayoral position empty.
Chico has a council-manager form of local government that allows the mayor to be appointed by the council rather than elected.
Kasey Reynolds — who had served as Chico’s vice mayor since 2020 — was selected by the new council to now lead the city as mayor.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to serve the city of Chico,” Coolidge said to the residents in attendance.
Coolidge has announced he's running for the State Assembly in the 3rd District. He hopes to replace incumbent James Gallagher, whose term is up in 2026.
Reynolds appointment goes into effect immediately.
Dale Bennett was appointed to fill the role of vice mayor by the council.
