Elgin council welcomes Ortiz, bids farewell to Shaw
The Elgin City Council welcomed its newest member Wednesday and said goodbye to another.
With his 8-year-old daughter, Ava, by his side, Anthony Ortiz was sworn in at city hall by Judge Julio Cesar Valdez.
Ortiz was one of four council members to take the oath after certification of the April election, but the only first-timer. Incumbents Tish Powell, John Steffen and Rose Martinez were the top three vote-getters, respectively, in the field of 10.
For Ortiz, running for council for a third time was the charm.
"The first time I did it, I had no idea what I was doing," he said. "The second time I had a little better idea how to answer questions and interact with voters. This time I felt like a pro."
The night also saw the departure of Toby Shaw, who chose not to seek reelection after 10 years on the council.
Shaw said he was "grateful and humbled" for the opportunity to serve.
"It's been an adventure that I never anticipated," he said.
Shaw, a fiscal hawk who often found himself as the lone dissenting voice on many issues that came before the council, said he first sought office because he felt that conservative values were lacking in local government.
"I found myself on the losing coalition of virtually all split votes, except for those few situations where a mountain of common sense could not be disregarded," he said.
Shaw said that though he was a contrarian to what he characterized as "the popular opinion," he gave voice to a conservative opinion that might otherwise go unheard.
"I look back at all the votes I have taken and sleep well at night," he said.
Mayor David Kaptain, who was also sworn in after winning his fourth term, thanked Shaw for his years of service to the city, which included time on the liquor control commission, the CDBG review panel and the Community Task Force on Policing.
"I think Councilman Shaw exemplifies what a good councilman is," Mayor David Kaptain said. "Honest, has great integrity and follows the ethics of his faith."