Tito Ortiz is, and will remain, Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California.
The decision to vote him out of office, following complaints of “unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement,” was shelved after fellow council members gave the retired UFC “Bad Boy” an opportunity to address the public’s concerns.
As well as their own.
“I want to thank each and every one of you,” Ortiz said after surviving his latest council meeting (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “I apologize if I let anybody down. I think I just let myself down because I went on defensive mode from the very beginning, and I shouldn’t have done that. I will work harder, and I will try not to miss meetings as hard as I possibly can. I do have other jobs to pay my bills, but at the same time, I will do the best job that I know to do.”
Hopefully that job involves wearing a face mask.
Ortiz, 46, was elected to office late last year after nearly 23 years in combat sports. Most of the issues surrounding his council controversy has been his attitude toward COVID-19, which continues to wreak havoc across the globe.