Council member Sobek appointed Menifee Mayor Pro Tem

Lesa Sobek and Matt Liesemeyer share a light moment during Wednesday night's Menifee City Council meeting. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

Menifee City Council member Lesa Sobek was appointed mayor pro tem by unanimous vote of her colleagues Wednesday, replacing Matt Liesemeyer in what traditionally is a rotating council position.

The mayor pro tem runs council meetings in the mayor's absence and is the symbolic leader of the city council when the mayor isn't present. Liesemeyer held that position in support of Mayor Neil Winter over the past year. City councils have discretion on how that position is titled; in the past, the Menifee City Council has also recognized that position as vice mayor and deputy mayor.

Sobek, who previously served on the Planning Commission, was elected to a one-year term in November 2015 to fill the last year of the late Wallace Edgerton's term on the City Council. She ran unopposed for election to a four-year term in 2016.

Wednesday night's City Council meeting also was the first for new City Manager Armando Villa (left), who officially took over for interim City Manager Ron Bradley this week. Villa, 52, comes to Menifee from the City of Calexico, where he served in a similar capacity. He was the unanimous choice of council members following the final round of interviews in a field that began with 45 applicants.

"Armando has said his goal is to retire here, and as you can see, he's only 19 years old," Bradley quipped in introducing Villa. "He's got all the credentials, and we've gone through several city managers, so that's a big thing. The future is very bright for Menifee. Where the city is going is amazing. We'll eventually be larger than Murrieta or Temecula."