"I go to the golf course and all I do is dig holes," Lee says. "I'm a terrible golfer. But (Swegles) has a wicked golf swing."

In addition to his family and his community service, Swegles--the community administrator of the Willow Ranch mobile home community--prides himself on his golfing ability, but worries that it will atrophy in his year as Sunnyvale's mayor.

"I used to play every week," he says, pointing out that his handicap has risen from 14 to 24. "If I get to play once a month now, I'll feel lucky. That's the toll of being on the city council."

Instead of tough courses and long drives, Swegles and the other six council members will have to address a changing economy, new Sunnyvale business developments, a housing crunch and the continued revitalization of the downtown.

Few of these are new items to Swegles, a self-described "council groupie" who spent five years on the parks and recreation commission--three of them as chairman--and two years on the senior advisory board. He served on the planning commission before being elected to the council in 2003.

"The great thing about being a council groupie is that I was able to see a lot of ways to run a meeting and a lot of ways to get things done," he says.

And his experiences are slightly different from Lee and former Mayor Dean Chu, who both spent years as planning commissioners before joining the council.

"I think it's great that he has that perspective in those areas," Lee says. "We are bringing different skill sets that I definitely think will complement each other."

After spending last year as Chu's vice-mayor, Swegles said he is ready to turn the lessons he has learned into action in Sunnyvale. Most importantly, Swegles said he wants to take concrete steps towards bringing the council together into a more efficient, accessible group, something that has been talked about for years.

"One of the things that I bring to the table--and it comes from being involved in softball leagues--is that I've coached and managed a lot of teams, so I can bring people together to work as a team," he says. "I have what I think and what I want to accomplish, but I need to know what (my colleagues) think."

Swegles has already put this plan into motion. At his first meeting as mayor, the council changed the way motions are made. Instead of having the maker of the motion and the person who seconds it speak in support, the maker speaks to the motion, then a dissenting opinion is asked for. This is repeated by whoever seconds the motion.

Swegles said this is in response to the past council's habit of having every member voice their opinion on an item, even if the council was unanimous in its decision.

"If you open it up and ask for someone with a negative opinion, it can cut down on the number of people who want to talk," he says.

He said he also hopes this gives council members who may have the single dissenting opinion a chance to voice their concern without feeling overwhelmed by the opposition. It also shortens the time spent talking about an issue.

"He's running a tight ship," Lee says. "It sends a message that we want to move the meetings along quicker."

Outside chambers, Swegles said he wants to encourage the same cooperation and sharing of ideas, by continuing the community outreach meetings and roundtable discussions started by former Mayor John Howe. But instead of bringing a group of representatives from a single professional circle or neighborhood together, Swegles says he wants to bring a panel of representatives from all over Sunnyvale together to discuss issues.

With all his goals, Swegles said he is lucky to have the support of his family and friends.

"I have a wonderful wife who makes sure my feet stay on the ground," he says.

He has never been one to keep his love of family hidden. His son Troy flew in from his Air Force duties in England to swear his father in as mayor, and members of the cross-country Swegles clan were on hand for the event.

Swegles said he and his wife Gail have children and grandchildren--some together and some through past marriages--in England, Chicago, Indianapolis, Florida and Michigan.