HUNTINGTON BEACH : Silva Reverses Vote; Mayor Rotation Dies

Councilman Jim Silva this week reversed an earlier vote, nullifying the council’s plan to rotate members into the mayor’s seat.

Silva said he reconsidered his position, and on Monday night voted against the proposal.

Consequently, the measure failed without debate. Three of the five present council members favored the proposal, but under the City Charter, four supporting votes are required to adopt an ordinance. Both of the absent council members, Jim MacAllister and John Erskine, had previously voted against the proposal.

The measure, which Mayor Pro Tem Peter M. Green had proposed, would have eliminated the council’s system of electing its mayor and mayor pro tem.

Under the proposed rotational system, the sitting mayor pro tem automatically would become mayor at the council’s first meeting each December; thus, Green would have become mayor later this year for the first time in his six years on the council. The council member with the next most consecutive years of council experience would have succeeded Green as mayor pro tem, moving next in line to become mayor.

Green said he favored the system because it would have enabled him to plan his 1991 work schedule were he to become mayor. He also said he believes the current election method breeds “back-room” political maneuvering and bickering among council members.