BREAKING NEWS: Eric Bever elected as Costa Mesa mayor

There were few surprises at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting Wednesday night, when Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever — a close political ally of Mayor Allan Mansoor — was elected to take over the outgoing mayor’s responsibilities.

While Councilwoman Linda Dixon expressed some concern with Councilwoman Katrina Foley’s absence, she eventually joined the rest of the board in supporting Bever’s candidacy with a 4-0 vote.

“I want to thank my peers up on this dais that were able to attend this meeting,” Mayor Bever said. “I’m honored to be mayor, and will do my best to serve this community to the best of my ability.”

Some controversy followed the unanimous vote when Bever nominated Mansoor to replace him as Mayor Pro Tem. Dixon, who nominated Foley for the position, said she felt uncomfortable voting to have an outgoing mayor serve as the Pro Tem.

“(The Mayor) has made it perfectly clear in the newspaper that he’d like to see other people serve on the position up here,” she said. “With that being said, it’s only right that we allow someone else to serve as pro tem also.

“Foley would do a good job, and I think she would be happy to serve.”

Members of the public rose both to praise the outgoing mayor and express their objection to the board voting on a new Mayor with only four members of the Council present.

“I agree with Linda Dixon,” Costa Mesa resident Rachel Perez-Hamilton said. “I think it is too important of a decision to make with a council member missing.”

Mansoor was voted in as the city’s Mayor Pro Tem in a 3-1 vote, with only Dixon dissenting.