Newly elected Mayor Steve Glickman and Vice Mayor Mike Wasserman took over the leadership roles on Nov. 17 with unanimous support from their fellow council members.

In his two-minute acceptance speech, Glickman, who was last year's vice mayor, thanked his colleagues for their confidence in him.

"Former mayors Sandy Decker and Joe Pirzynski have set very high standards, and I know I will be measured against their standards, their stature and their legacy," Glickman said.

"It will be my challenge and opportunity to serve here," he said.

Just completing his first year on the council, Wasserman—the top vote-getter in last fall's council elections—said he looks forward to the next few years.

"I learned it was the right choice for me to run for council. It was the perfect fit, given my goals and desires to serve the community," Wasserman said.

Traditionally, the acting vice mayor is elected to the mayoral position, and the person with the most votes in the last election becomes vice mayor. This year was no different.

In their speeches both Glickman and Wasserman thanked and praised the outgoing mayor, Sandy Decker, for her energy in serving the community.

Recapping her year as mayor, Decker—who nominated Glickman for mayor—stressed that her commitment had been to strengthen the town through new partnerships and improved communication.

"We found that the further you reach in this community, the more exciting and vibrant it becomes," she said. "Serving as your mayor this year has been such an honor and a privilege. I will hold that honor in my heart forever." Earlier that evening, the outgoing mayor was presented with framed photographs of the two cats serving as the town's mascots.

The day after his election to the mayoral seat, Glickman was already talking about his goals for the town, though he said he would save discussing specific ideas for his State of the Town address early next year.

For now, Glickman said, marketing will be crucial to keeping local businesses viable. "We don't want to have a bunch of empty stores downtown," he said.

Beyond facing the fiscal challenges of the year ahead, Glickman plans to tackle the quality of life issue for young people in town. When he moved to Los Gatos from Southern California in 1988, the new mayor was then a single parent to two young boys—a challenge he never forgot.

While all of his colleagues on the dais were strong candidates for the role of vice mayor, Glickman said he nominated Wasserman to serve beside him because the latter shared many of his goals in addressing the needs of youths.

"The increasing youth and community involvement is a priority, and I'm looking forward to continuing that momentum," said Wasserman, who has coached various youth sports. Specifically, Wasserman hopes to see the "Alive ... and Loving Life" initiative expand and the town make sports facilities more accessible to young athletes.

A new twist was added to last week's reception, hosted by the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of the new mayor and vice mayor. For the first time, the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Pipes and Drums performed throughout the evening. They came at the request of Glickman, a fan of Celtic music.

Among a host of town citizens and civic leaders that shared in the celebrations were Glickman's wife, Judy, his two sons, Wasserman's wife, Kim, and Wasserman's mother and father.

Besides his service on the town council, Glickman has twice served as board of trustees president for the Los Gatos Unified School District, has volunteered to teach computer classes at Fisher Middle School the past eight years and has worked on the county's juvenile justice committee.

"I'm going to try to do right by the town," Glickman said.