The city of La Palma is mourning the passing of former Mayor Pro-Tem Thomas Wright, who served on the La Palma City Council from 1987 – 1988. According to the city, he passed away on Oct. 10, 2019.
Wright was unanimously appointed to the La Palma City Council in May 1987 to fill a vacancy created by Council Member Daniel Collins, who had resigned earlier that year. Mr. Wright served the rest of Collins’ term and served as Mayor Pro-Tem in 1988.
He was very active in the La Palma community. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. Wright served as chairman for both the City’s Traffic Safety Committee and Development Committee as well as helped build the Bicentennial Gazebo in Central Park. Additionally, he was selected as La Palma’s first recipient of the Americana Citizen of the Year Award in 1976 and also served as a committee chairman for his homeowner’s association.
In the 1980s, Wright served as the Business Manager for the John F. Kennedy High School’s Regiment Band for their Ireland trip and also served on the Walker Junior High School Community Relations Board.
Mayor Marshall Goodman said, “We are sad to hear about the passing of former Mayor Pro-Tem Thomas Wright. He was a dedicated public servant and volunteer who cared deeply about making La Palma the wonderful city it is today. We are forever grateful for his service to our community.”
Ranked by Money Magazine in 2007, 2011, 2013, and 2015 as one of America’s Best Places to Live, the City of La Palma is a 1.9 square mile general law city in northwest Orange County, consisting of 15,568 residents and approximately 300 commercial and industrial businesses. The City was incorporated in 1955 under the name of Dairyland and has 55 full-time and 35 part-time employees.
