I’ve grown to really appreciate soon-to-be (or depending on when you’re reading this, new) Mayor Hector Sosa. So much so, in fact, that I am honestly looking forward to him taking the reigns as mayor this upcoming year.

I’ll be honest – I am firmly in the camp that believes that the mayorship is largely just symbolic (at least, for now). You get a year to sit in the center seat, swing the gavel, run the meetings, and pose for more than your share of pictures and ribbon cuttings. Then, come next December, you rotate to the next person and take a little bit of a backseat.

That’s not to say work can’t be done in your time at the top. And should something critical or disastrous happen during your term (say like, God forbid, a pandemic), well then you’ll be the one that everyone looks to to guide the city through the darkness and back into the light.

 But more often than not, a year isn’t going to be enough time to get major policy or projects done; if you do, it’s likely that whatever it is was either already in the process or that the baton is being passed on for following mayors and councils to take it the rest of the way.

When Sosa first joined, I knew he could do the job; I had no worries on that front. But I’ll admit, I had some concerns about where he’d fall amidst the panel. His campaign was largely tied to that of one of his council colleagues, and it left me to wonder if he would he be his own person, or just another vote to tally. Having covered City Council for many years here in Downey (and briefly in Norwalk), I’ve seen some of both.

But after two years and with all that being said, Sosa has more than earned my respect. In fact, I’d argue he brings something to the dais that I think the city has been craving: a sense of calm.

Sosa was elected in 2022, amid a council member recall and a mass staff exodus sparked by the departure of then City Manager Gilbert Livas. Even as the storm quieted and the ship settled, he has sat on a council that consists of varied (and sometimes bold) personalities across the board; while that may be nothing new for an elected council, we can’t deny that this particular crop is not afraid to go toe to toe with one another.

There’s been a lot of rattled cages over the last several years.

Through everything though, Sosa has showed a willingness to work with and compromise with all of his colleagues, despite how he may feel about them.

When Mayor Mario Trujillo was selected to lead the city last year, Sosa didn’t sugar coat anything: he had his reservations (and that’s putting it lightly) about the would-be mayor, but was willing to give him his fair turn for the benefit of moving “the city forward together.” Despite being an outspoken supporter of the recall of then councilwoman Catherine Alvarez, Sosa would attempt to dialogue and work with her on matters that the council was considering (though those efforts largely went for naught).

To this point, he hasn’t been the type to necessarily duke it out with his colleagues publicly. He gets frustrated, sure, and he can be rather blunt at times. Ultimately, he always seems to settle back to the objective at hand (whatever that may be) and moving the city forward.

And that’s ultimately why I think the city is in good hands for the next year. Sosa has proven to be level headed, and a team player, with the city’s best interest in mind. He should do well at the helm.