SUNNYVALE, Calif. – The Sunnyvale City Council has selected John Howe as the fifty-fourth Mayor of Sunnyvale. Dean Chu, a newly-elected member of the Council, was designated by the Council to serve as Vice Mayor. Mayor Howe and Vice Mayor Chu took office following a ceremonial swearing-in at the Council’s November 25 meeting.
John Howe has been a member of the Sunnyvale City Council since 2001 after serving five years as a planning commissioner. Owner of a local tax and real estate company, Mayor Howe is active in civic organizations and is a graduate and member of the board of directors of Leadership Sunnyvale.
Dean Chu, a long-time financial advisor, also serves on Leadership Sunnyvale’s board of directors and is active in community organizations. He joins the Council after serving two years on the Planning Commission. A fifteen-year resident of Sunnyvale, Vice Mayor Chu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Golden Gate University.
Earlier in the evening, Vice Mayor Chu, Melinda Hamilton, Otto Lee and Ron Swegles took their seats for the first time as City Councilmembers. The four were elected in November, and replace former Councilmembers Tim Risch, Manuel Valerio,
Pat Vorreiter and Jack Walker.
The Sunnyvale City Council is composed of seven councilmembers elected at large for up to two four-year terms. The Mayor and Vice Mayor are selected from among the ranks of the Council and serve for one-year terms. The Council meets most Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in Sunnyvale City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave.