Every January, the Palo Alto City Council conducts what amounts to a popularity contest among its members to select its new mayor and vice mayor.
The process typically follows an established pattern, with the vice mayor nearly always ascending to the mayor's chair. Selection of the vice mayor, however, is often subject to intrigue, backdoor negotiations, political expediency and the occasional power tussle, injecting an element of tension and surprise into what is otherwise a tightly scripted and ceremonial first meeting of the year.