BY STEPHANIE LAM
Daily Post Correspondent
Palo Alto City Council unanimously chose Vicki Veenker as mayor and narrowly voted in Greer Stone as vice mayor during their meeting tonight.
While former vice mayor Veenker was a strong contender for Palo Alto’s top leadership position, there was uncertainty around who would become her second-in-command.
Stone was appointed in a 4-3 vote, as Councilman Keith Reckdahl was also nominated for the job.
Those who voted for Stone include George Lu, Ed Lauing, Veenker and Stone.
While those who voted for Reckdahl include Pat Burt, Julie Lythcott-Haims and Reckdahl.
Veenker said she supports Stone because of his “resident first” mindset and commitment to working with the council and the city. Stone has been on council since 2020 and was mayor in 2024.
Although Reckdahl hasn’t held a vice mayor or mayor role, he was praised by Burt for his problem-solving abilities and open-mindedness. Reckdahl was elected last year, before joining council, he served on the Planning and Transportation Commission and the Parks and Rec Commission.
Not everyone in the council was keen on taking on the vice mayor’s role. Lu, who is serving his first term on the council, removed himself from consideration during the meeting, expressing hesitation to step into a leadership position. Last month, Lythcott-Haims took her name out of the ring, stating in a newsletter that she believes “others are better suited to the task.” She previously declined to elaborate to the Post when asked.
Veenker said she is “honored” to step into Palo Alto’s top leadership role, and thanked her family, fellow council members, city employees and other residents.
“Thank you sincerely to all of my colleagues for entrusting me to serve as your mayor,” Veenker said.
“She has great people skills, critical skills and very good judgement at the end of the day on making a decision or recommendation,” Lauing said. “(And she has) off the charts midwestern work-ethics.”
In her first address to the council as mayor, Veenker said she hopes council prioritize growing the city’s affordable housing stock, be a leader for climate action initiatives and update the infrastructure of the Cubberley Community Center.
“I believe hitting these milestones will be key to a successful 2026,” Veenker said.
Veenker joined the council in 2022 and serves as chair for the city’s Policy and Services Committee and Climate Action and Sustainability Ad Hoc Committee. Veenker and her husband have lived in Palo Alto since 1992 and their children attend local schools.
An Indiana native, Veenker attended Indiana University before obtaining a law degree at Georgetown University. She is the founder of Veenker Law Offices, which represents parties to IP disputes.
Stone, meanwhile, was elected to the council in 2020 and served as mayor in 2024. Veenker nominated Stone and expressed her admiration for his desire to put “residents first.”
“I’m deeply honored and excited to do the work with our new mayor,” Stone said. I’m looking forward to 2026.”
Stone and Reckdahl last month proposed a city ordinance that would crack down on compounds of homes that billionaire residents such as Mark Zuckerberg assemble.
Should have been well qualified, next-in-line Kieth Reckdahl rather than recycling Stone.
Absolutely no reason to do so but for self-interested hidden agenda politics.
Greer’s crackdown on billionaires is just the beginning. Soon we’ll all feel the warmth of collectivism.
Do Veenker and Stone see themselves as “Democratic Socialists” in line with Zohran Msmdani? Or do they want their party to move back to the center? I ask because I was surprised at the socialist talk of Julie Lythcott-Haims. She’s entitled to her beliefs, but she should have been honest about them during the campaign.