Mendell L. Thompson was appointed the 41st Mayor of the City of Glendora yesterday evening.
The Glendora City Council, during the course of its March 27 meeting, acted to elevate Thompson, a pillar of the community and the President/CEO of America’s Christian Credit Union (ACCU), from Mayor Pro Tem to the mayorship of this 107 year old city of 52,000 residents in northeast Los Angeles County. Consistent with City protocol, Thompson will serve a term of 12 months in this leadership role.
For the past 32 years, Thompson has been President/CEO of Glendora-based ACCU, which has been headquartered in Glendora since 2005. He was first elected onto the City Council in a special election early in 2015.
During his continuing credit union leadership, he has been a trailblazer and a visionary, creating a banking model that is as much about community and ministry as dollars and cents.
At Thompson’s induction this week, fellow councilmember Judy Nelson told Thompson, "You're going to be a fantastic mayor, and I look forward to serving as your Mayor Pro Tem," the role to which Nelson was inducted during the same council meeting.
Under the leadership of Thompson, ACCU has helped place over 1,700 children in loving families through its adoption lending program, and has supported over $245 million in church expansion projects through a wide variety of corporate loans and financing solutions. ACCU, a not-for-profit Christian financial institution, currently oversees $452 million in managed assets and serves over 160,000 members across the country, and posted its strongest year to date in 2017 -- just before launching its 60th year anniversary campaign in January of this year.
Among his many credit union achievements, Thompson has been recognized and awarded by the National Council for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, U.S. Representative Ed Royce, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Glendora Unified School District, and Glendora City Council.
Throughout his years in Glendora, Thompson has been responsible for organizing and sponsoring numerous community events, and has been recognized for his active and generous support of local organizations like Shepherd's Pantry and the Glendora Education Foundation. Through ACCU, Thompson has led community efforts to honor veterans, support adoptions, elevate the work of fostering families, and support various local businesses.
In his opening remarks as the newly installed Mayor, Thompson cited 1 Corinthians 10:23, and stated "I want to make sure that as we continue to work hard, we enact laws that are sound and sensible, filled with grace, and ultimately enable us to serve the citizens of this city with the care and thoughtfulness they deserve."
Mendell L. Thompson's love for, and dedication to, Glendora are seen in the foundation that he and his family have built here. He and his wife Reanna have been residents of Glendora for 33 years. Their two children, Jana and Darren, are both graduates of Glendora High School, and currently, work in Glendora. He is also a proud sponsor of Glendora Little League, where he gets to watch 2 of his grandsons' play.
The new mayor thanked his family, the ACCU board members, his fellow City Council members, and first responders, asserting that his ascent to this leadership position would not have been possible without their support.