Peterson is new Huntington Beach mayor; Semeta is appointed mayor pro tem

Monday night was a time for celebration at Huntington Beach City Hall.

Residents crowded into the City Council chamber to watch the council unanimously select members Erik Peterson and Lyn Semeta as the new mayor and mayor pro tem, respectively.

Friends and family also were present to watch three incumbents — Peterson, Mike Posey and Barbara Delgleize — and one newcomer — Kim Carr — take the oath of office to serve four-year terms on the council after being elected in November.

Peterson, who was first elected in 2014, replaces Posey as mayor for a one-year term.

Posey and Councilwoman Jill Hardy, another former mayor, told Peterson that being mayor would be the busiest and fastest year of his life.

Peterson thanked his family members for their support and told residents they should expect to hear a lot from him in the next year. He promised to be transparent and treat everyone equally.

“This is a team,” he said, referring to the council. “We’re here for the community. It’s here to keep that ship moving forward and fix broken parts when we can.”

Semeta, who was elected to the council in 2016, replaces Peterson as mayor pro tem, which also is a one-year position. She is slated to serve as mayor in the next rotation.

Semeta said she is honored to be selected for the role and is looking forward to supporting Peterson, who she said has helped her accomplish goals on the council.

Carr replaces Billy O’Connell, who lost in his bid for reelection to the council last month.

Carr said she doesn’t believe the council will have a problem being productive because all the members are passionate about Huntington Beach.

“I know we can work together to get things done, and the residents are counting on us to get that done,” she said.

Carr also called on residents to be engaged to help “continue the conversation forward.”

City Attorney Michael Gates, who ran unopposed for reelection, also took the oath of office to serve another four-year term.