Anaheim : Council Finally Fills Post of Mayor Pro Tem

For most Orange County cities, the selection of a mayor pro tem is a routine matter as the position is rotated among City Council members.

In Anaheim, the process that culminated in the appointment Tuesday of Irv Pickler as mayor pro tem was anything but routine.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a fiasco with a mayor pro tem (selection),” Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood said.

With the mayor pro tem appointment as the first item of business Tuesday morning, Mayor Don R. Roth nominated Pickler and Pickler nominated Kaywood. E. Llewellyn Overholt Jr., mayor pro tem until Tuesday, excused himself from the room, saying he did not want to be a part of the process.

With four members present, the council then took a vote on the first nomination, that of Pickler. Roth voted for Pickler. Bay voted against him. Kaywood abstained. And Pickler voted for himself.

City Atty. Jack White then surprised the council, saying that the 2-1 ballot for Pickler is a legal vote since it represents a majority of the quorum. Bay asked for a new vote. On the second count, Kaywood added her support to Pickler, giving him a 3-1 majority. Overholt then returned to the room and asked that another vote be taken to make the appointment unanimous. The council voted again, with a no from Bay, giving Pickler a 4-1 vote.

Last week, when the council first attempted to select a new mayor pro tem, similar confusion reigned as members nominated each other, one nominated himself, and no majority was reached on any one vote. The process was postponed for a week.

The lack of consensus, Pickler said, is an indication that “in the back of everybody’s mind, everybody is running for mayor.”