Mitoma’s Rival Replaces Him as Mayor of Carson

Carson’s newest council member made her first official decision Tuesday night, casting the key vote to swing the mayor’s position from Michael Mitoma to his longtime council rival Vera Robles DeWitt.

The action thrust Councilwoman Juanita McDonald into the thick of Carson’s intensely factional council politics and prompted an accusation by Mitoma after the meeting that she had promised her vote in exchange for campaign endorsements from DeWitt and Councilwoman Kay Calas.

McDonald, who campaigned on a platform to end rivalries that have embittered the city’s politics for decades, denied Mitoma’s charge.

“It’s not a deal,” she said in an interview, adding that her future council actions will show she is independent of DeWitt and Calas. “Mitoma will understand that when I start working. Everyone will understand that.”

Mitoma has said he will resign if McDonald joins DeWitt and Calas to form a majority on the five-member council. Before the April 10 election, the council majority consisted of Mitoma, Sylvia Muise and John Anderson.

Mitoma served as campaign strategist for Anderson, who was defeated, while DeWitt and Calas endorsed McDonald. Muise, the other incumbent running, was reelected; she did not make endorsements.

In separate votes for mayor and mayor pro tem at the Tuesday council meeting, McDonald provided the crucial third vote that swung the choice to DeWitt for mayor and Calas for mayor pro tem. Mitoma and Muise also were nominated as mayor, and the vote split 3 to 2, with McDonald joining DeWitt and Calas to vote against them. Muise lost a bid to be mayor pro tem on an identical split vote.

After the vote, Mitoma alleged in an interview that McDonald had promised to vote for DeWitt and Calas in return for their campaign endorsement. “The deal was made months ago,” he said.

In interviews, Calas and DeWitt denied they had traded their endorsement for McDonald’s vote.

“I had worked with Juanita McDonald for 20 years in the Democratic Party,” Calas said. “She is a friend of mine. There is no truth in it.”

In voting for DeWitt, McDonald earlier told the packed council chamber that DeWitt had never served as mayor. “Everyone should have an opportunity to serve as mayor,” she said.

McDonald did not explain her vote for Calas, but in an interview later she denied that it should be interpreted as allegiance to a faction. She said DeWitt needed someone to help with the unfamiliar task of acting as mayor and that Calas as “a veteran” was best suited for this advisory role.

Calas has been on the council for 14 years, including five years as mayor. DeWitt has been on the council seven years. Muise has been on the council for eight years, including one year as mayor.

In a reference to strained relations between DeWitt and Muise, McDonald added that she did not want the mayor and mayor pro tem “working at cross grain.”

After the council vote that made her mayor, DeWitt immediately took over the gavel and proceeded to run the meeting.

In a speech after the votes, she said her first priority would be to come up with “a balanced budget document in a timely manner.” The city’s last budget was approved six months after the beginning of the city’s fiscal year and required that $5 million be taken from reserves.

She called on council members to put aside differences and “place principles above personalities and extend the olive branch.”

“No one will be left out of the decision-making process,” she said.

In her speech, McDonald said she intends to treat all council members fairly and made a special plea to Mitoma not to resign.

“We need you, Mike,” she said.

Mitoma, asked later whether he had decided to resign, said, “I’ll wait and see.”