By: Renee Schiavone (Patch Staff) | Original Article at Patch.com
Beaumont citizens elected three new city council-members in Tuesday’s election.
The Beaumont City Council will be undergoing a facelift in the coming months, as three current members will be replaced by newly elected citizens.
According to preliminary election results, Mark Orozco, Mike Lara and Lloyd White claimed victories in the race for three seats on the council. Incumbents Roger Berg, David Castaldo and Brian De Forge fell in the bottom three.
Here are the preliminary results:
There are still 66,000 vote-by-mail, 19,000 provisional and 8,000 damaged ballots to be tallied countywide, the Registrar said Wednesday morning. It’s not clear how many of those will go to the Beaumont race.
“Work on those begins Wednesday,” a statement from the office of the registrar said. “The next updated results will be posted at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.”
White tells Patch that he’s ready for this new challenge as a city councilman.
“I think the election results show that the voters of Beaumont want new leadership,” he told Banning-Beaumont Patch Wednesday morning. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Current Councilman Brian De Forge, who was first elected in Nov. 1999, congratulated the winners via this Facebook post.
First, I would like to say “Thank you” to our fantastic citizens who have allowed me to represent you for the past 15 years. You are the heart of this city and it was my honor to serve you.
Second, I would like to congratulate the three newly elected councilpeople, Mark Orozco, Lloyd White and Mike Lara. You all worked very hard for these seats and the voters have spoken. I wish you the best as you lead our community over the next four years.
Lastly and most importantly, “Thank you” to my wife Gail and our daughters, you four have been my biggest supporters and confidants. No man could ask for a better support group.
Thank you again Beaumont, now time to move forward to the challenges that lay ahead.
Berg has been a member of the council for more than 20 years, having first been elected in Nov. 1993. Castaldo was elected in 2010.
Mayor Brenda Knight and Councilman Jeff Fox will seek reelection in two years. Knight was just elected in 2012, while Fox was elected in 2000.