At the Willits City Council meeting last week, Larry Stranske announced he will resign from his position as mayor but will remain on the council. He said he was stepping down due to health issues.
Following the announcement, the council held a vote and elected Councilmember Tom Allman to serve as the new mayor of Willits. The mayor is chosen annually in a vote among councilmembers so Allman will serve for the rest of the year.
Allman, who was elected to the Willits City Council in the November 2024 election, served as sheriff of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years before retiring in 2019. In 2020, he became the resident deputy in Shelter Cove, a coastal town in southern Humboldt County. Allman has lived and worked in both Mendocino and Humboldt counties throughout his life and has long advocated for public safety and support for local small businesses.
The city of Willits has faced financial challenges over the past several years. In 2020, city officials projected a $700,000 budget deficit and warned that the city could be forced to shut down if new revenue sources weren’t found. That same year, voters approved Measure K, a 0.75% sales tax increase aimed at stabilizing the city’s finances. Since then, city leaders have continued exploring ways to increase revenue, including efforts to attract more local businesses to the area.
“Willits has some serious financial concerns that are going to be very challenging, and I am looking forward to looking to the staff and doing everything we can to alleviate the financial burden,” Allman said in an interview. “I will be pushing on that, and work with our community development to increase tax revenue.”
The Willits City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Council Chambers at 111 E. Commercial St. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Public comments can be made by calling (707) 459-4601.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.