Norwalk council elects Jennifer Perez as mayor, names Margarita Rios vice mayor

Jennifer Perez was chosen by the Norwalk City Council as mayor in a unanimous roll-call vote at a Dec. 2025 special reorganization meeting. Vice Mayor Perez was nominated from the dais by outgoing Mayor Tony Ayala and the council voted 'Aye' on all recorded votes to approve the nomination.

The council then opened nominations for vice mayor; Margarita Rios was nominated and confirmed by a unanimous roll-call vote. The city clerk conducted the roll calls that produced 5–0 tallies on both organizational votes, and the mayoral transition proceeded immediately following the ceremonial portion of the meeting.

The reorganization was the final formal item on a program that began with a series of recognition presentations from regional officials, county departments, community organizations and business groups. Before nominations, Mayor Ayala spoke about the work of the council over the past year and invited a city-produced video that summarized the administration’s priorities and claimed outcomes in housing, public safety and social services.

Minutes after the nominations, the city clerk announced the roll-call results. The meeting record shows the votes as: Ramirez — Aye; Rios — Aye; Valencia — Aye; Perez — Aye; Ayala — Aye for both the mayor and vice mayor nominations. No recorded 'no,' 'abstain' or 'recused' votes were entered for either nomination.

The newly confirmed mayor, Jennifer Perez, did not make extended remarks on the council floor at the meeting beyond accepting the position; council members used the opportunity to thank outgoing Mayor Ayala for his year of service and leadership.

The meeting was immediately followed by a reception hosted by the city.