Isles Chosen New Brea Mayor

Ron Isles was unanimously chosen to serve as Brea’s 36th mayor on Tuesday, taking over from Wayne D. Wedin, who stepped down after a year at the city’s top job.

It is Isles’ second time as mayor, and this is his second term on the council. He was chosen mayor in 1982 but resigned from the council in 1983 because he feared that a partnership he had with local developer Don McBride might violate state conflict-of-interest laws.

He was reelected to the council in November, 1988.

The partnership has again come under scrutiny during Isles’ current council term. He is under investigation by the district attorney’s office for voting on a McBride development proposal last year. Isles denies any wrongdoing.

Burnie Dunlap, who is serving his first term on the council, was picked to be the mayor pro tem.

During the brief swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, colleagues lauded Wedin for his ability to get things done.

He is credited with overseeing the completion of many critical projects, including the agreement to overhaul the entire downtown and the widening of Birch Street. He also kicked off a communitywide planning process to develop Tonner Canyon.

However, Wedin’s reign was not without controversy. Like Isles, he too is the target of a district attorney’s probe to determine if he violated state conflict-of-interest laws. Wedin is accused of helping win a city contract for a company he worked for.