Grover Beach City Council appoints new member after Karen Bright won mayor’s race

The Grover Beach City Council has picked a new member to fill the empty seat vacated when Karen Bright was elected mayor, the city said in a news release.

Clint Weirick was unanimously appointed to the position by the four other council members, Bright, Mayor Pro Tem Anna Miller, and Councilmembers Dan Rushing and Robert Robert.

“I have so much passion and love for this community. In my time living in many neighborhoods across Grover Beach, I’ve seen the diversity of white-collar and blue-collar workers that make this city great,” Weirick said. “The depth and breadth of my experience serving the community provides me with the background in local government to hit the ground running. Working on the City Council is a ‘we’ sport, not a ‘me’ sport. I look forward to working with my fellow councilmembers to achieve the goals we will be setting in the coming weeks.”

The vacancy Weirick filled was left by Karen Bright when she won the mayor’s race in the November 2022 election.

“In December 2022, the City Council decided to fill the council vacancy by appointment instead of holding a special election and select a candidate within the newly formed District 4,” the release said.

AFter all eligible Grover Beach residents living within District 4 were invited to apply, the council interviewed four applicants and made its decision based on Weirick’s “civic participation, experience and vision for the future.”

“Mr. Weirick comes to the council with extensive experience in state, county and city government. He has an understanding of how to support our thriving community while working within the limitations of our budget,” Bright said. “We are confident that Clint Weirick will serve as a good community representative and collaborate with fellow councilmembers to address the important goals set by the council.”

Weirick, a Grover Beach native, has served the past two years as a district representative for the California State Senate, the release said.

Weirick is a member of Grover City Grange #746, the Friends of the Grover Beach Library and the Grover Heights Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), the release said.

He also has served battalion chief of the Friends of the Five Cities Fire Authority, co-chair of the South County Chambers of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee and chair of the Behavior Health Advisory Board, the release said.