BARBARA DELGLEIZE being sworn in as the mayor of Huntington Beach in 2016. (Orange County Tribune photo).

Former Mayor Barbara Delgleize was chosen to serve as mayor pro tem at a special meeting of the Huntington Beach City Council Wednesday evening.

Her selection – on a 6-0 vote – came after the abrupt resignation of Tito Ortiz from his city council member and mayor pro tem positions. The latter is a largely ceremonial post, but it does require presiding over council meetings in the absence of the mayor.

By policy and tradition, the mayor pro tem has succeeded to the top spot, provided the majority of the city council agrees.

Delgleize was elected to the city council in 2014 and served as mayor 2016-17.

Ortiz, who has been a controversial figure since his election to the council in 2020, resigned because of criticism and the impact on his family.

“To put it simply, this job isn’t working for me,” he said. “I’m sorry to let down many of my supporters and constituents and I pray they will understand.”

The city council, now down to six members, will decide whether to make an appointment to fill the vacant seat, or call for a special election, which would be costly because the next scheduled balloting is in 2022 and therefore could not be consolidated with a larger election.