Mark Winchell came to the Ripon City Council during a tumultuous time.
Longtime elected leader Elden ‘Red’ Nutt had just won yet another term when he died suddenly, leaving his colleagues scrambling to fill his seat.
In January 2015, they selected Winchell, who had served on the Ripon Planning Commission, from a pool of strong applicants.
“It was an honor and privilege to serve on the council,” said Winchell, who as a provisional appointment, had his seat up for grabs during the recent elections.
He barely missed out on his bid on winning a term, with newcomer Daniel de Graaf and incumbents Leo Zuber and Jake Parks claiming the three available seats.
“I learned a lot from him on our time on the council,” said Parks, who had the honors of presenting Winchell with a recognition plaque.
He, Zuber and de Graaf were later administered the oath of office by City Clerk Lisa Roos.
In the reorganization part of the meeting, Dean Uecker officially took over as mayor and Michael Restuccia moved up the rung to vice mayor.
Council posts are handled via rotational basis, with Parks going from mayor to the No. 4 seat and Zuber getting boosted to the No. 3 seat.
As a first-term council member, de Graaf was automatically placed on the No. 5 seat.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.