EDITORIAL: Welcome to the new guard

After a hard-fought and, frankly, bitter election campaign, Laguna Beach has a new mayor and mayor pro tem for the year.

Business owner Kelly Boyd, who owns a tavern in downtown Laguna Beach, will be the city’s “official” representative at major functions and on several formal bodies.

Elizabeth Pearson, formerly head of the now-disbanded South Coast Medical Center Foundation, will serve as mayor when Boyd cannot.

The city’s mayor and pro tem are mostly ceremonial positions without executive duties, but the mayor — or the pro tem — runs the City Council meetings and therefore has a bit more clout than the other council members.

The mayoral post is generally handed around the dais, and sooner or later a council member’s number will come up and he or she will be handed the gavel.

What is notable this time is that Boyd and Pearson worked on behalf of ousted Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman, and against newly seated Councilwoman Verna Rollinger.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman championed Rollinger, and both are politically aligned as members of Village Laguna. Outgoing Mayor Jane Egly remained neutral, not endorsing either of the two candidates over the other, but was championed by Village Lagunans who want to see their group in charge.

Village Laguna has not had a council majority in nearly 20 years, and many are anticipating — some with delight and others with dread — big changes.

So it is heartening to see the council select as mayor and pro tem two who supported the opposition. It shows an inclusive spirit that will serve the city well.

Laguna Beach will no doubt face many thorny issues in the year to come, with a state economy in crisis, an aging sewer system requiring costly repairs, a hospital in transition, major development projects on the horizon, and a business community that is limping along and losing retailers on almost every corner.

It can be expected that the council may have some very tough decisions to make, and having all onboard will be very important.

We are happy to put this rather unpleasant election season behind us and move on to the work at hand, and it will be fascinating to see in what direction this newly constituted council takes the city.