The Pacifica City Council unanimously appointed Council Member Christine Bowles as mayor and Greg Wright as vice mayor during its Dec. 8 regular meeting.

Bowles was nominated and the motion to appoint was made by Council Member Beier and seconded by Council Member Espinosa; the council declared the appointment unanimous. After the vote Bowles delivered remarks describing immediate priorities: implementing the city’s new climate action plan, forming a committee to lead adaptation work for the coastline, pursuing funding and partnerships for infrastructure, and expanding youth engagement.

“I just want to thank Mary, who graciously and selflessly put her own desires aside so that I could serve in this position,” Bowles said after taking the gavel, adding that the council and staff would work together on the city manager recruitment and other long-term priorities. She emphasized coastal adaptation, noting the city’s shorelines are “already eroding and flooding with greater and greater frequency” and said state-level committee work will be used to advance local goals.

Council deliberations followed the process adopted in the council rules and code of ethics (section 9). Council Member Beier declined consideration earlier in the evening, and several members and members of the public spoke in support of Bowles before the formal vote.

The council later followed the same rules to select the vice mayor. Mayor Beckmeyer (the outgoing mayor presiding at the time of the vice-mayor vote) moved to elect Greg Wright; Council Member Espinosa seconded that motion. A roll-call vote recorded all five members present voting in favor.

Mayor Bowles said the council will continue to work with staff to fill the city manager role and to press forward on shared priorities, including finding new sources of revenue and increasing public communications. The appointments take effect immediately and will set the presiding roles for the coming year.

The council closed the selections portion of the meeting by thanking outgoing Mayor Sue Beckmeyer for her service and by presenting community acknowledgements.