Freshman City Councilman John Erskine Appointed Mayor of Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach freshman City Councilman John Erskine, executive director of the Building Industry Assn.’s Orange County chapter and the highest vote-getter in the November, 1986, city election, was appointed mayor Monday night.

The City Council’s 4-3 vote for Erskine came quickly before a smaller-than-normal crowd of about 100 people. The council selected Tom Mays to succeed Erskine as mayor pro tem by the same vote. The appointments ended the city’s yearly ritual of jockeying for votes.

In closed session, the seven-member council also voted unanimously to appoint Public Works Director Paul Cook as city administrator. Cook has been acting city administrator since Charles Thompson resigned Oct. 16. Cook had been chosen for the interim job on condition that he not apply for or be appointed to the position permanently.

Showing Solidarity

The prospect of reneging on that earlier decision angered some council members this weekend. But council members Ruth Finley, Peter Green and Grace Winchell--who had supported Cook but objected to changing the earlier decision--each said they decided it was important to show “solidarity” and “support” for the city administrator once it became clear that a majority of the council was voting to hire Cook.

Erskine succeeds Jack Kelly, former actor and a councilman of 7 1/2 years who has often been colorful in directing council meetings. Erskine will serve a one-year stint as mayor.

Following a break in the meeting to serve a cake honoring outgoing Mayor Kelly and to change seats in the council chambers, Erskine addressed the crowd as mayor.

He vowed to encourage “teamwork and unity” by serving as “quarterback” of the council.

Because his job involves dealing daily with builders and because his campaign platform stressed the need for ambitious downtown redevelopment, Erskine said that “a lot has been written about the supposed pro-growth faction and slow-growth faction, . . . and I know none of you consider yourselves in that stereotype.”

Vote Viewed as Mandate

Erskine said that he wanted to take “decisive action, particularly on downtown redevelopment.” Downtown has been the site of many abortive renaissances in the last two decades.

As the “top vote getter in the last election,” he said, “I viewed it as a mandate to get on with downtown redevelopment.”

Finley, Green and Winchell, a minority coalition on the council that frequently votes as a block, supported Green to be mayor. Although the mayoral and pro tem posts are largely ceremonial, they do spell membership in the three-member Mayor’s Committee that historically has been made up of the current mayor, past mayor and mayor pro tem.

Those three members--viewed by many as voting for more moderate developments and densities than their counterparts--have expressed concern about being shut out of the committee.

That committee functions to review the performance of the city administrator and to convey to him policy decisions of the council.

Perhaps anticipating this concern, Erskine’s first decision as mayor was to sway tradition by appointing Green to the committee because, Erskine said, “it’s important that we have balance.”

The audience applauded and Kelly--as past mayor effectively removed from the committee--clapped loudest.

Vice Mayoral Controversy

Erskine’s selection for the mayoral post came as no real surprise. Erskine expressed confidence about the vote and had “had his ducks in order” for days, if not weeks, Mays said.

However, the selection of vice mayor brewed controversy in the last few days after Green accused Wes Bannister and Mays of what he called “backdoor deals” that resulted in a vote swap. Green said the deal called for Mays to change his position against hiring Cook as permanent city administrator. In return for Mays’ vote for Cook, Bannister would support Mays for mayor pro tem, Green said.

Mays denied such a swapping deal Sunday, saying Cook’s management style to date has impressed the entire City Council and community activists, pro-growth and no-growth supporters alike. Despite the rave review, some--including Mays, until recently--were saying the council should be true to its original decision not to consider the interim appointee for the job.

However, Bannister said Sunday that he had pressured Mays about changing his vote to support Cook. But he said he was not certain that alone had swayed Mays.

‘Over and Done With’

Green, who was also rejected Monday night, 4 to 3, in a bid for the mayor pro tem job, said he preferred not to elaborate about his vote-swap accusation because “I stated my feelings, and it’s now over and done with.”

Cook, 50, never applied or lobbied for the job. But he nevertheless said after his appointment that he had been hoping for the appointment in recent weeks. He began working for the city in 1965 as its traffic engineer. He quit in 1970 and worked the next nine years as public works director for the cities of Inglewood, Claremont and Pomona.

In 1979 he became public works director in Huntington Beach.

As the city’s chief executive officer, Cook will oversee a staff of more than 1,000 employees and a budget of $140 million.

“I’ve lived here 22 years and raised a family here and love this city,” Cook said. “I never dreamed I’d be in this position, but I am very happy. I will work very hard to do the job justice.”