New Ocala City Council president and pro-tem elected

File photo: Ocala City Council Member Ire Bethea is sworn in by Rev. John Brown during the Ocala City Council meeting at Ocala City Hall in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

The Ocala City Council unanimously elected a new council president and president pro-tem on Tuesday, who will serve in the roles for the next year.

Kristen Dreyer was elected city council president, with Ire Bethea elected to serve as president pro-tem.

Dreyer takes over for former president Barry Mansfield, who served in the role for the 2023-24 term. While Mansfield was president, Dreyer served as his pro-tem.

The president of the city council’s duties are to sign all ordinances, contracts, agreements and paperwork; preside over meetings; and fill the role of mayor in the case of his absence, disqualification or disability.

Upon her election, Dreyer thanked Mansfield for his leadership over his term as president.

“We had a challenging year with all the pro-Palestinian protests within these four walls this past year, and you handled it well,” Dreyer told Mansfield.

Dreyer was first elected after winning the 2021 special election for District 4. Dreyer is currently serving her second term on the city council after running unopposed in the 2023 election.

Bethea takes over Dreyer’s former role as president pro-tem.

The president pro-tem’s duties are to fill the responsibilities of president in the absence, disqualification or disability of the president.

Bethea has served on the city council since he was first elected in 2020. In 2023, Bethea beat opponent Reginald Landers to be reelected and retain his District 2 seat.