Woodside Councilman Peter Mason will be handling the mayor's gavel for the next 12 months at Town Council meetings.

Mr. Mason was elected mayor in a unanimous vote of the Town Council on Dec. 9. Elected vice mayor was Councilman Dave Burow, also by a unanimous vote.

The mayor serves as president of the council, a largely ceremonial position that includes setting council agendas and chairing the meetings. He still casts just one vote on the council.

Mr. Mason, 58, is a licensed architect with a career of more than 30 years, and is vice president at the Palo Alto architectural firm HKS Hill Glazier Studio. The company specializes in five-star hotels and resorts, including the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay Resort and the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto. Mr. Mason also designed the remodel of his own home, he said.

He received a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cal Poly, served on the Woodside Architecture and Site Review Board for nearly four years, and helped find an architect for the renovation of Folger Stable.

Mr. Mason is married to Virginia Dare, who chairs the Open Space Committee. The couple has one child.

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