Auburn City Council completes shuffle; Davis sworn in for first term, will serve as vice mayor

Kelley Davis served in different leadership roles while in college and high school. Now she will serve two roles for the city of Auburn. Davis was sworn in for a two-year city council term Monday night inside council chambers at Auburn City Hall. This is her first term behind the dais. Then Vice Mayor Sandy Amara, who the council voted 5-0 to become the city's next mayor, nominated Davis to become vice mayor. Davis also won by a 5-0 margin. Rachel Radell-Harris has served as mayor this year. "I am excited and honored to be able to serve Auburn and to be the next leader for our city," Davis said, "and to bring in some new ideas and new perspectives to the council." Davis won the term in November with 3,899 votes, defeating incumbent Michelle Sierra-Sammons, who had 2,638 votes. Davis knows Placer County like people know the back of their hands. She grew up in Meadow Vista. Davis left Placer County to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to earn bachelor's and master's degrees, lived abroad and returned to Auburn six years ago. "I have been in Auburn and around Auburn most of my life," Davis said. Davis talked about her campaign to serve on the council, in which she listened to the citizens she met and greeted. She admitted the campaign was "much more fun than I expected." Davis added, "It was a lot of hard work. It took a lot of time. It took a very steep learning curve to figure out the steps to go through, to get everything right. I found it incredibly engaging to meet a lot of new people, to hear a lot of people's concerns, excitements, wishes for Auburn in the future." One concern Davis feels needs addressing, which she heard while attending meetings and before being elected, are easier ways of transportation that don't require four wheels. "People's desire to have a walkable and bikeable community," Davis said. Approaching the city's deficit is another area Davis is looking forward to addressing in upcoming meetings. Davis served in various leadership roles while in college and high school, but becoming a city council member one day was not one of them. "I never thought about it," Davis said. "But, as I became more involved in Auburn, I just recognized how important and valuable it would be to bring my views to council." Radell-Harris pointed out Amara's strengths that would lead a city of more than 13,000 residents. "She's a lifelong resident of Auburn who has a long history of community service," Radell-Harris said of Amara, who is an attorney and mediator. "She's a product of Auburn schools, being a Placer High graduate." "I'm honored," said Amara, who also served as mayor in 2022. Amara's son, Andy, officially swore his mother into the mayoral role. Then Amara officially nominated Davis as vice mayor. "Kelley has enjoyed and cherished Auburn from a very young age," said Amara. "She wants to protect our city and the natural resources from wildfire. She proudly supports small businesses and recognizes that they are essential to our community and our success." Amara further stated that while Davis is new to the council, she's "willing to learn" to help manage the city. Davis was sworn in by City Clerk Amy Lind. Also, Radell-Harris and Alice Dowdin Calvillo were re-elected to four-year terms in November and were sworn in during the meeting.