The mayor and four council members make legislative policy for the city, enact ordinances, approve the budget and…More govern this city of 26,000 people.</p> <p>Mayor Mary Sessom was first elected to the council in 1994 and then elected to the position of mayor in 1996. Her current term expires in 2012. The councilmembers are: Jerry Jones, who first joined the council in 2002 and was re-elected in Nov. 2010; Mayor Pro Tem Mary England, who was elected in 2000 and whose current term runs until 2012; George Gastil, elected in 2008, whose term also ends in 2012; and Howard Cook who was elected to the council in Nov. 2010. The council terms are four years each, and there are no term limits in the city.</p> <p>The council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of every month, at the Lemon Grove Community Center.</p>

This K-8 school district operates five elementary schools and one middle school, serving approximately 3,900…More students.</p> <p>The Lemon Grove School District has been struggling with budget cuts in recent years, but has managed to keep a vibrant educational program alive. Even though one middle school was closed, and the sixth-grade camp program cut, the school board recently managed to find enough money to re-hire some badly-needed teachers' aides and janitors. The board president, as of Oct. 2010, is Tim Shaw. Other board members are Katie Dexter, Larry Loschen, Blanca Brown and Jay Bass.</p> <p>The school board meets in the Community Center twice a month, every other Tuesday.</p> <p>The district includes six elementary schools and one middle school. Lemon Grove Middle school is closed for two years, to save money and for renovation as part of a planned school/library project.</p>