Council Names Hearns Mayor in Lancaster
The Lancaster City Council on Monday night elected the Rev. Henry Hearns, the city’s first black councilman, mayor for the coming year.
He replaces Councilman William Pursley, 63, in the mostly ceremonial post. Hearns, 57, elected to the council last April, is a retired environmental officer at Edwards Air Force Base and pastor of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Littlerock.
The council vote was 3 to 2, with George Theophanis and Arnie Rodio dissenting. Both favored Theophanis for the mayor’s job. But Theophanis, elected in 1988, was passed over despite having more seniority on the council than Hearns.
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