The Pontiac City Council chose Adrian Austin as council president and William Carrington as president pro tem during its organizational meeting on Jan. 6, 2026.

Council members cast secret ballots under the procedure the clerk outlined: a candidate needed four votes to win. After the first round, Adrian Austin received four votes and was declared president. The council then held a separate ballot for president pro tem in which William Carrington received five votes to Mikhail Goodman's two, and the council adopted a resolution confirming Carrington's two-year term through Dec. 31, 2027.

The leadership votes were formalized by roll call. The motion to confirm Austin as council president passed unanimously on the recorded roll (seven yeas, no nays). The council approved Carrington's appointment to president pro tem by a recorded vote as well. Councilmembers moved immediately to organizational business after the selections.

The new president and president pro tem will serve two-year terms under the rules the council reviewed and approved later in the meeting. Council members said the selections were intended to provide stable leadership as the administration and council begin work on priority items including ARPA reporting, departmental reorganizations, and upcoming ordinance work that requires regular meetings.