Councilwoman could miss turn as mayor

As mayor pro-tem, Councilwoman Leslie Daigle is in line to become the first female mayor of Newport Beach in more than a decade, but it remains to be seen whether she can secure enough votes on the dais for the job when the City Council reorganizes next month.

Mayor Ed Selich could be up for a second term, with Councilman Keith Curry in line for the mayor pro-tem slot.

“It is ironic that while nationally, young and/or women elected officials are advancing, just the opposite may be happening in Newport Beach,” Daigle said.

While the mayor position holds no special privileges or powers, the mayor can work to set goals and a general tone for the council. The mayor also is a figurehead of sorts for the city.

Newport’s last female mayor, Jan Debay, who was appointed in December 1996, said she doesn’t think the so-called glass ceiling is holding Daigle back. Debay also has been an advisor to Selich.

“If Leslie has done a good job, I think [the City Council] will look at her as a good mayor,” Debay said.

Selich has enjoyed popularity during his yearlong stint as mayor. He ran unopposed earlier this month to retain his District 5 council seat, and says he wouldn’t mind having a second go as mayor.

“If my colleagues decide to choose me as mayor, I’d be proud to serve another term,” Selich said.

Former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn Hart, who served two terms as mayor and four terms as mayor pro-tem, said sometimes a mayor needs more than one year to get things done.

“I think that Leslie Daigle would make a fine mayor; however, I do see some real advantages of having a mayor for two years,” Hart said. “If a mayor wants to try to really accomplish something, there’s no way they would be able to do something in one year’s time, so I think I see more of an advantage of having a two-year mayor.”

Selich has gained a reputation as a consensus builder on the council, working to reconcile the body’s earlier split vote on building a new city hall in Newport Center.

“I know that Ed has done a great job pulling the council together. He’s really shown a significant amount of leadership,” Councilman Don Webb said. “Leslie has worked really hard, too, and has shown leadership in the community. I can’t say she’s done anything but work really hard for the city.”

Daigle was elected to the council in 2006, after being appointed to the District 4 seat in 2004. A member of the city’s Bay Issues Committee, she’s been an advocate for the continued dredging in Upper Newport Bay. Daigle also chairs the city’s Media Communications Committee and helped create the Orange County Conference for Women.

As mayor pro-tem, Daigle believes she has earned the right to serve the city as mayor.

“We have a time-honored tradition of rotation,” Daigle said. “Whether the mayor has done a good job or bad job, this is our system.”

The mayor position typically rotates between council members on an annual basis, with the previous year’s mayor pro-tem usually advancing to the mayor seat, but the process isn’t entirely free from doubt.

“I think that it’s kind of an assumption if you’re mayor pro-tem that you’re in line to be mayor,” said former Newport Beach City Clerk LaVonne Harkless, who recently retired from the city after more than 10 years of service.

“You always hear rumors about what is going to happen, but as city staff, we were always prepared for it going any direction,” Harkless said.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.