PIMA — Brian Paull has had a big year.
He opened Palo Verde Pharmacy in Pima in October 2021, expanding it to Palo Verde Health Services in February 2022, when his wife, Angela, a nurse-practitioner, opened her adjoining clinic.
That same month, he was appointed to the Pima Town Council to fill the remainder of the term of the recently resigned Deborah Barr. He ran for his own full term on the council and was elected in the August primary.
And, after being sworn in Tuesday, by a unanimous vote of the council, Paull was selected to serve as the town’s mayor for the next two years.
“I guess I’m the second-newest on the council, so for that reason, it was a surprise,” Paull said.
Paull said he would like to see the council focus on handling growth over the next few years.
“A big part of why I wanted to join the council is for the infrastructure, roads especially,” he said. “Pima’s growing, and it’s not going to stop soon from what I can see. So we need to get ahead of it rather than play catch-up like we used to.”
Also by unanimous vote, Sherrill Teeter was selected by the council to remain as vice mayor.
The top vote getter in the August primary, Teresa Bailey, was sworn in during Tuesday’s special meeting, and she jumped in immediately, seeking clarification on the term of mayor and vice mayor. Per town code, mayor and vice mayor are to be selected the first meeting following a general election.
The council also approved a minor change to town code as it relates to the mayor and vice mayor, using gender-neutral language to describe the holders of the two positions and their responsibilities. Town Manager Vernon Batty said similar changes would be brought before the council as the code is reviewed.
