Grisanti Elected Mayor, Silverstein Mayor Pro Tem In Close Vote

MALIBU, CA — Paul Grisanti was elected and sworn in as Mayor of Malibu Monday night, while a deliberative, nail-biting vote from former Mayor Mikke Pierson elected Bruce Silverstein as mayor pro tem.

Grisanti, a real estate broker and long-time community activist first elected to the City Council in November, kept his opening remarks characteristically brief.

“I look forward to spending the next nine and a half months trying to rebuild the faith in the city of Malibu and rebuilding our staff and their confidence in us as City Councilpeople,” he said. “And I hope that the citizens of Malibu will appreciate my manner of speaking, but I will warn you I have a tendency to be concise. Thank you very much for electing me to this, and entrusting me with this responsibility.”

Grisanti was elected Mayor Pro Tem in a controversial December meeting right after the election. Per an unwritten rule, the Mayor Pro Tem position is awarded after an election to the incoming councilmember who received the most votes. That was Bruce Silverstein, but Councilmembers Mikke Pierson, Karen Farrer, and Paul Grisanti initially nominated Steve Uhring, another newcomer. Uhring declined the nomination and urged them to vote for Silverstein instead, but Pierson, Farrer, and Grisanti voted for Grisanti instead.

"I'm not sure how you expect me to vote to support you with what I feel are unending personal attacks," Pierson said to Silverstein at the time, calling attention to Silverstein’s social media posts critical of him and Farrer. "I find some of your actions hard to comprehend...they completely confound me.”

Silverstein told Pierson to “get over your upsetness for whatever was said during the campaign that you think marginalized you, and act like a grown-up.” Another vote was held a few weeks later, with identical results.

Although such personal attacks between councilmembers have since mostly subsided, the reverberations of that exchange were still felt during Monday’s nominations.

Uhring again nominated Silverstein, saying that he should have been elected Mayor Pro Tem in December, and Mayor on Monday. Silverstein said that he “could read the writing on the wall” and declined the nomination. Instead, he nominated Uhring, calling him an “ideal person for this job during this time of transition,” and pointing out that Uhring was elected Mayor Pro Tem in December by a majority vote before he turned it down.

“He served for many years on the Planning Commission, including as chair, he has a demonstrated dedication to the vision and mission of Malibu, there are no potential conflicts of interest,” Silverstein said. “He has the right demeanor for this position, he’s not condescending to the residents, he appreciates the importance of discussion and process, he appreciates the importance of transparency, accountability, and ethics.”

Silverstein voted for Uhring, while the rest of the Council voted for Grisanti.

The election for Mayor Pro Tem was even more of a question mark. Uhring again nominated Silverstein, saying that despite a rocky start he has proven that he can work with the council.

“I have seen a huge change in the demeanor of our meetings, we have demonstrated the ability to get things done, and we’ll get better at it, and I would like to go back to the traditional piece that said Bruce was the leading vote-getter, and I really think he deserves it,” he said.

During roll call, Farrer and Grisanti immediately voted Uhring. Pierson, who has often served as the swing vote on contentious matters, took a long pause.

“I think our city has made it very clear that they want us to work together, I think on both sides of this thing, we’ve heard loud and clear, please work together, please find a way,” he said. “So I was hoping to get even a nod of an agreement that that’s a fair way for us to go forward as a group and I’m happy to vote for either one of you on that - I just want to work together as a functioning, effective unit for the citizens in the city of Malibu. And I would ask you too if that’s fair.”

“What’s your vote?” Silverstein then asked.

Pierson said he would “gladly vote for Silverstein” if he promised to be able to work together productively.

“Can we all agree not to go after each other in different forums, and I promise to do the same thing?” Pierson asked. “Can we do that, and I promise to do the same thing? I’m not asking to sign anything, I’m just asking if that’s a fair intention, and then I will cast my vote for you.”

“My intention is to be on my best behavior,” a smiling Silverstein replied, somewhat cryptically.

Pierson paused and broke into a hesitant half-smile, half eyebrow arch. “Ok,” he said. “So I’m gonna take you at your word, and I will vote for Bruce.”

Upon departure, Pierson, a lifelong Malibu resident who has served as a councilmember since 2018 and mayor since July 2020, said he has appreciated the opportunity to make positive change.

“The last two years, and from my time as mayor, have been anything but boring,” Pierson said. “I would probably paraphrase it more as all-consuming. I am truly grateful for my time as mayor. The thing about being mayor is you have a bigger opportunity to help people, help your community, and to make a positive impact in the world.”

Related coverage:

Silverstein Passed Over For Malibu Mayor Pro Tem | Malibu, CA Patch
Meet The Candidate: Paul Grisanti | Malibu, CA Patch
Pierson Takes Over As Malibu Mayor | Malibu, CA Patch