Barbara Delgleize sworn in as Huntington Beach’s new mayor
Familiar faces will be leading Huntington Beach into 2022.
Barbara Delgleize was sworn in as mayor for the second time during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, while Mike Posey is the city’s new mayor pro tempore.
Delgleize, a residential real estate broker who has lived in Huntington Beach since 1974, was previously mayor in 2017. She takes over for outgoing Surf City Mayor Kim Carr, who presented Delgleize with a gavel among other things.
Delgleize will serve as mayor in 2022 before she terms out. She has been on the City Council since 2014.
“I am honored that my colleagues have selected me to serve as mayor during my final year on the dais,” said Delgleize, 70. “Over the past several years, this City Council has spent considerable time and effort advancing a community-centric agenda that prioritizes the development of solutions for key local concerns. We’ve made transformational advances in Huntington Beach in addressing homelessness, mental health programming and park and infrastructure initiatives to improve our local quality of life. I am delighted that I’ll have the chance to continue that work as mayor next year, with Mayor Pro Tem Posey and my other colleagues on the City Council. I am committed to doing my part to bring everyone together, so we can best serve the people of Huntington Beach.”
Delgleize is a longtime member of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce and has served on the city’s Planning Commission and Homeless Task Force, among other responsibilities. She also currently represents the city as the president of the Board of Directors for the Assn. of California Cities — Orange County, as well as a representative of the Orange County Traffic Authority.
She was appointed as mayor pro tem in June, following the resignation of Tito Ortiz.
In her first speech as new mayor from the dais Tuesday, Delgleize emphasized focusing on the youth of the city, reinvesting in Huntington Beach and supporting local business and tourism as three areas she would like to focus on next year.
Posey, who was elected to the City Council in 2014 like Delgleize, was previously mayor pro tem in 2017 and mayor in 2018. In naming him as mayor pro tem, the council set aside Resolution 6320, stating that the mayor pro tem should be the most senior member of the council who has not served as mayor in the last four years.
Unlike Delgleize, Posey will not become mayor for the second time, because he also terms out in 2022.
Carr, the outgoing mayor who would be up for reelection in 2022, presented her fellow council members with blue jackets as a parting gift. She received thanks from a few residents during public comments, including her teenage daughter, Rachel.
Kim Carr reflected on a year that included the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and an oil spill off the Huntington Beach coast in October. She gave thanks to Irvine-bound City Manager Oliver Chi and interim Police Chief Julian Harvey, while also praising her fellow City Council members.
“This council is the hardest-working council that I have ever seen, and we’ve accomplished more together than I could have ever imagined,” Carr said.
She said that the city is in the best financial shape she has seen it in, with a $10-million surplus and fully funded pensions. This has allowed for an increased budget for public works and capital improvement projects.
She added that homelessness remains the council’s No. 1 concern. The city’s homeless Navigation Center, which opened about a year ago, has provided services for more than 150 people and is currently home to 106 people in need, Carr said. There have been 31 people who have found housing.
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