One of two candidates will become Tustin’s first elected mayor following this Election Day: Rebecca “Beckie” Gomez or Austin Lumbard.

Like most Orange County cities, Tustin appoints its mayor from the dais, where City Council members select among their own for the mostly ceremonial title.

But that appointment process is ending with this election, when voters are selecting their own mayor for a four-year term.

Tustin voters in District 3 also are casting their ballots for a representative, choosing between businessman Ray Schnell and Frank Gomez, a chemistry professor.

Lumbard, the current councilman-appointed-mayor, endorsed Schnell for council while Beckie Gomez and fellow council members Letitia Clark and Barry Cooper endorsed Frank Gomez.

Lumbard, an attorney, was first elected to the council in 2018 after serving six years on the planning commission. He previously served as a reserve deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Beckie Gomez, who retired last year as the dean for the Health Science Division at Cypress College, was first elected to the council in 2010 and served for eight years, rejoining in 2020.  Some political observers have previously criticized the council for passing her over in recent years and not giving her a turn in the honorary post.

Beckie Gomez was also a former member of the Orange County Board of Education, where her moderate positions were not in sync with that of the ultra-conservative board. She was pushed off the education board last summer: She resigned after a lawsuit was filed against her, alleging a conflict of interest because she served on both the council and the board of education.

Ballot counts in the Nov. 8 races will continue to be reported into the night and possibly in the days that follow.

Please check back later for updates on this and other races in Orange County.

Read more about the Tustin races:

Two Tustin council members try to make history as first elected mayor

What’s interesting about city council races in Orange County this year?

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