The City Council chambers were packed Tuesday night for the swearing in of Tom Means as mayor and Margaret Abe-Koga as vice mayor, both of whom were elected unanimously by their peers on the council.

In an introduction riddled with jokes, council member Matt Pear said it was his honor to nominate "the first Greek American mayor of Mountain View," and that people would now have to call him "Mayor Professor Doctor Tom Means" -- quite a contrast to his "humble, simple beginnings."

"I bet you never thought your son would become the mayor of a city in California," Pear said to Means' parents.

He extolled Means for his work as an economics professor at San Jose State, where he directs the Center for Economics Education. And he named some of Means' published journal articles, such as "Estimating the Publicness of Local Government Services: Alternative Congestion Function Specifications."

"Even the city manager has a copy of this by his bedside," Pear said.

In Means' acceptance speech he joked that as a young man he wanted to become president, but "after years of family therapy, I realized I was from another planet."

He continued to thank his family and supporters, and added to the night's humor by saying that "Behind every great man is a surprised mother-in-law."

Macias lauded for service

"It is the toughest job you will ever love," Laura Macias said about being mayor over the past year, which she managed to do while juggling a full-time job.

"I'm very happy that your name is on the climate agreement," said council member Ronit Bryant to Macias, who strongly advocated the city's environmental sustainability program all year.

County Supervisor Liz Kniss noted that Macias has been named "a Latina woman to watch" and one of the top 12 women in local government by San Jose Magazine.

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.