Tom O’Malley was appointed mayor of Atascadero on Dec. 28. Though perhaps not the most shocking political news—O’Malley had been mayor pro tem—it does mark a political milestone of sorts. Since the town’s citizens voted in November to elect its mayor beginning in 2012, O’Malley will likely be the last mayor to be appointed from the ranks of the City Council. Atascadero is the last city in the county to have an unelected mayor.