Mayor of Carlsbad

The Mayor of Carlsbad is elected at large by voters citywide, unlike the four City Council members, who are elected by district.^[2][1] The mayor and council members serve four-year terms.^[2]

Before 2018, city government was led by an at-large mayor and four at-large council members; in July 2017 the city council voted to move council elections to districts while keeping the mayor's office as an at-large position.^[1]

The office

Carlsbad's City Council consists of an elected mayor and four elected council members, each serving a four-year term.^[2] The mayor is elected by voters citywide, while council members are elected by district.^[2] The City Clerk and City Treasurer are also separately elected, citywide positions.^[3]

The City Council generally meets three times a month on Tuesdays, with agendas posted in advance of regular and special meetings.^[2] Day-to-day city administration is carried out by an appointed city manager rather than the mayor; Geoff Patnoe became Carlsbad's city manager on Dec. 19, 2024, succeeding Scott Chadwick, who left to lead the Port of San Diego.^[8][9]

Keith Blackburn

Keith Blackburn has served on the Carlsbad City Council since 2008 and became mayor in 2022.^[10] As mayor, he commented publicly on city staffing decisions, including the 2024 appointment of Geoff Patnoe as city manager.^[8][9]

The Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and other city facilities fall under the purview of city government that the mayor's office oversees as part of the Carlsbad City Council.^[11][2]

Past mayors

• Dewey McClellan was the first Mayor of Carlsbad, chosen by the City Council after incorporation; he had served as Chamber of Commerce board president in 1932 and 1946.^[5]
• Bill Atkinson Jr. was the first mayor chosen in a community-wide election, elected to city council in 1964 and elected mayor in 1966.^[5]
• Robert C. Frazee served on the Carlsbad City Council from 1972 to 1974 and then as mayor of Carlsbad from 1972 to 1978, before being elected to the California State Assembly in 1978.^[12]
• Ron Packard was elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 1976 and elected Mayor of Carlsbad in 1978; while mayor he served on regional transportation bodies and as President of the Council of Mayors for San Diego County. He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001.^[13]
• Claude "Bud" Lewis served as mayor for almost a quarter of a century and died in 2014; the city's desalination plant was later named after him in recognition of his support for the project.^[11]
• Keith Blackburn has served on the City Council since 2008 and as mayor since 2022.^[10][1]

2026 mayoral election (unofficial)

Carlsbad held its General Municipal Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, to fill the seats of Mayor, City Council District 1, City Council District 3, City Treasurer and City Clerk.^[3] Four candidates qualified for the mayoral race: Keith Blackburn, Eric Nixon, Stephen Banister and Bill Arsenault.^[3]

According to the Carlsbad Current, citing unofficial results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters shortly after election night, Blackburn won reelection with about 73% of the vote, receiving 25,392 votes (72.66%), ahead of Nixon with 5,491 votes (15.71%), Banister with 2,252 votes (6.44%) and Arsenault with 1,811 votes (5.18%); the results were described as unofficial with additional ballots still to be counted.^[10]

North Coast Current, reporting later counts as of Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, gave Blackburn 27,813 votes (72.23%), Nixon 6,118 (15.89%), Banister 2,581 (6.70%) and Arsenault 1,993 (5.18%), unofficial results from the Registrar of Voters.^[4]

The Ballot Book's results tracker showed continued counting after Nov. 6; by its latest logged update, Nov. 10 at 5:58 p.m., the leading total stood at 33,398 votes (71.0% share), with the second-place total at 7,700 votes (16.4%), the third-place total at 3,439 votes (7.3%), and the fourth-place total at 2,509 votes (5.3%).^[6] These figures remain unofficial, and the San Diego County Registrar of Voters has continued counting ballots.^[10][4]

Common questions

Related topics

• Carlsbad City Council
• Government of Carlsbad
• Elections in Carlsbad
• History of Carlsbad
• Incorporation of Carlsbad (1952)
• Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant
• Notable people from Carlsbad

References

All sources retrieved November 2026.

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Carlsbad, California (Wikipedia)". Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2026.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} "cc_council". City of Carlsbad. Retrieved November 2026.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "cc_elections". City of Carlsbad. Retrieved November 2026.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Election update: Results lean toward Carlsbad city incumbents". North Coast Current. Retrieved November 2026.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} "The Birth of a City | Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce". Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 2026.
6. ^ ^{a b c d} "City of Carlsbad Mayor - San Diego County November 2026 California General Election Results | The Ballot Book". The Ballot Book. Retrieved November 2026.
7. ^ ^{a b} "San Diego County: When To Expect Election Results". countynewscenter.com. Retrieved November 2026.
8. ^ ^{a b} "tosd_cm". Times of San Diego. Retrieved November 2026.
9. ^ ^{a b} "Media hotline". City of Carlsbad. Retrieved November 2026.
10. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Blackburn wins Carlsbad mayor's race with 73% of vote | Carlsbad Current". Carlsbad Current. Retrieved November 2026.
11. ^ ^{a b} "Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant (Wikipedia)". Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2026.
12. ^ "Robert C. Frazee (Wikipedia)". Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2026.
13. ^ "Ron Packard (Wikipedia)". Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2026.