Huntington Beach names new mayor, but ‘Judas kiss’ allegations fuel pro tem fury
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Casey McKeon was sworn in as Huntington Beach’s 88th mayor during Tuesday‘s City Council meeting. That was the easy part.
The discussion over who should serve in the No. 2 position raged before the council voted 6-1 to appoint Butch Twining mayor pro tem.
Chad Williams, who received a city record 52,335 votes in the November 2024 election, 8,000 more than Twining, cast the dissenting vote. In bypassing Williams, the council set aside Resolution 6320, which states the selection of a mayor pro tem shall either be decided by seniority or given to the top vote-getter.
Williams said he had learned of the plans to bypass him from a friend. Most of the public comments proffered Tuesday supported him, including those coming from congregants of the Calvary Chapel of the Harbour Church, where he is a young adults pastor.
Williams was reportedly approached by city staff asking him how many seats he wanted to reserve for guests at the reorganization meeting, and who he wanted to swear him in as mayor pro tem. That only added to his frustration with his colleagues.
“They knew that they were going to do this, and the really disappointing thing was that they knew my family was coming out,” Williams said in an interview following Tuesday’s meeting. “They were going to humiliate me in front of my family and friends, and they were not going to let me know. That was the hurtful thing.”
Williams said he didn’t really care about the honorary title; he was more concerned with the departure from tradition.
“The brotherhood that I have from the [U.S. Navy] SEAL teams, and what I have as a family man, it far supersedes any of this,” he said.
“What hurts is the betrayal. I guess I understand now sort of how Jesus felt, when some of his closest, most loyal friends abandoned him in his greatest hour of need. I got the Judas kiss today, people that call me friend and stab me in the back.”
A motion by Andrew Gruel to make Williams mayor pro tem failed 5-2. Gruel supported Twining in the subsequent 6-1 vote.
McKeon defended the decision to select Twining, a family friend, and said he wouldn’t rule out voting for Williams in the future.
“It doesn’t mean that I don’t think he can be pro tem in the future, or mayor in the future,” McKeon said. “It’s just right now, I want the pro tem to be Butch. I have a family history with him, he’s a great leader, he was the CEO of his family business, a multi-million dollar company. He’s here every day, he’s a generous man. He’s just great.”
McKeon added that although outgoing mayor Pat Burns got the most votes in the 2022 council election, the council decided to go with Tony Strickland as mayor in 2023.
“Tony was the right fit at first with us,” McKeon said. “Pat got the most votes, but Tony went first. I feel that right now the best person to be the pro tem is Butch. It wasn’t just me that said it. [Five] other people said it too.”
The council has set aside Resolution 6320 numerous times in recent years. Notably, Councilmember Dan Kalmick was bypassed for mayor in 2022, when the then-new conservative majority instead backed the newly elected Strickland.
The reason for the snubbing? Williams referenced something that happened during a Nov. 22 closed session, when the council met to discuss possible litigation regarding the rehiring of former city attorney Michael Gates. He said he was told by McKeon that the decision to bypass him was based on what happened during that meeting.
“Do what you came to do,” Williams said to McKeon at one point during Tuesday’s meeting, referencing what Jesus said to Judas before being crucified.
”This is all a get back at me, and this is a way where they can kind of show me who’s boss,” Williams said after the meeting. “It’s passive aggressive. They won’t deal with me face to face with these issues, instead they whip up votes behind the scenes.”
McKeon countered that, saying it was disingenuous for Williams to say that he was stabbed in the back.
“The voters elect you to get on the council, then your colleagues decide who should be mayor and mayor pro tem,” McKeon said. “It’s in our charter.”
McKeon, who’s family owns the Beef Palace Butcher Shop, was sworn in as mayor by Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, alongside his wife, Josephine, and two young boys. A commercial real estate developer, he’s a Marina High School graduate and third-generation Huntington Beach resident, as his grandfather moved there after serving in the Korean War.
“Just a local kid, and excited, you know?” he said of his appointment. “You never think about [becoming mayor], but now that it’s here, I’m so honored and privileged. It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. I’m just excited to carry on the mantle and represent the city to the best of my abilities, bring it back to the fun environment that I remember as a kid.”
