Ted Eliot, and late wife Pat, honored as Alcalde, Alcaldesa

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A 42-year-old Sonoma tradition continues with this week’s announcement that Ted Eliot and his late wife Pat, who passed away in December, have been named Sonoma’s Alcalde and Alcaldesa, “honorary mayors” for 2017. Taken from the Spanish word for mayor, Alcalde, or Alcaldesa, are titles bestowed each year on a citizen, or citizens, with a strong record of community service, leadership in a nonprofit and other good deeds.

The honor was announced during the Jan. 23 City Council meeting. Working from a short list of nominees put forward by a committee of former Alcaldes, Mayor Rachel Hundley selected the Eliots for their long years of service to the town of Sonoma.

Pat, a lifelong environmentalist, birdwatcher and backpacker, once served as a mounted patrol-person for the Sonoma County Regional Parks. She served as a board member of Sonoma LandPaths, and worked tirelessly to save Sonoma Mountain from developers, proving instrumental in opening up a new hiking trail on the East Slope.

Ted, himself a devoted birdwatcher, was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer and diplomat for over 30 years. The Eliots moved to Sonoma in 1988, and Ted has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to open space preservation.

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