Reso 2022-153 Bestowing the Title Mayor Emeritus to Pauline Russo Cutter

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RESOLUTION THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO RESOLUTION NO.2022-153 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL BESTOWING THE TITLE OF `MAYOR EMERITUS' TO PAULINE RUSSO CUTTER WHEREAS, Pauline Russo Cutter was first elected to the San Leandro City Council in November 2010 and helped champion the adoption of the Crime Free Business Program as well and assisted in enshrining San Leandro's reputation as a `Smart City'. Related efforts included being invited as an honorary guest to the countries of Italy and China to speak about San Leandro's vision and journey to become a Smart City; and WHEREAS, Pauline Russo Cutter was elected to serve as Mayor of San Leandro in November 2014 and served two terms of office through 2022. During her terms of service, she led the City Council through various challenges while modelling resiliency and a "can do" attitude; and WHEREAS, she specifically led the San Leandro City Council in committing to the `P.U.L.L. Program' to mitigate the City's unfunded liabilities associated with its retirement benefits, and was instrumental in the creation of a new sustainability staffing position to implement the City's Climate Action Plan; and WHEREAS, she took a leadership role in the creation of the San Leandro Homeless Compact that provided permanent housing to numerous individuals in need; and WHEREAS, she served in numerous leadership roles on various regional and national organizations including Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, Fours years of service as Chair of the Women's Leadership Alliance of the United States Conference of Mayors, President of the East Bay Dischargers Authority, and represented Alameda County on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, in addition to many other important roles on other policy -making bodies; and WHEREAS, Mayor Cutter led San Leandro through the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges that this public health emergency generated; and WHEREAS, she launched a Community Conversations Speaker Series that brought prominent figures to San Leandro to foster dialogue on issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and WHEREAS, Mayor Cutter has always been a strong advocate for the rights of all people including the LGBTQ+ Community, and has endured as a strong advocate for the City's partnerships with local schools and the education community for the benefit of all families and children; and WHEREAS, Mayor Cutter modeled volunteerism, made San Leandro a City where Kindness Matters, and instituted the Mayor's Award for Kindness; and WHEREAS, the City of San Leandro seeks to honor Pauline Russo Cutter in recognition of her leadership, political expertise, enthusiasm for and dedication to the quality of life in San Leandro.