Tracy Martinez becomes Del Mar mayor after annual rotation

Del Mar City Councilmember Tracy Martinez entered her first year as mayor and Councilmember Dan Quirk became deputy mayor during the council’s annual rotation on Dec. 12.

The rotation is based on the 2020 election results, when Martinez finished first and Quirk second in the race for three at-large City Council seats. It was the first time they were elected. Councilmember Dave Druker won re-election by finishing third.

During the meeting, Del Mar Councilmember Dwight Worden stepped down from his second one-year term as mayor since joining the council in 2014. It was also the second year in a row that the city’s mayor had to conduct virtual meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A “resolution of appreciation” for Worden mentioned the beginning of the city’s utility undergrounding project, submitting a new housing element to the state, and continuing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as a few of the accomplishments over the last year.

In his final remarks as mayor, Worden mentioned some of the top priorities facing Del Mar, such as adding an affordable housing development on the fairgrounds and building an underground tunnel to move the rail off the bluff.

“We have a number of really important issues that have been in play for a long time,” he said.

Worden and Terry Gaasterland were also sworn into new four-year terms on the council after finishing the November 2022 election as the top two vote-getters in the two-seat race, according to the certified results from the Registrar of Voters. Gaasterland came in first with about 44% of the vote, and Worden edged out newcomer Stephen Quirk by 61 votes.