Pearland holds swearing-in ceremony; council unanimously adopts resolution and elects Mona Chavarria as mayor pro tem

Pearland, Texas — The Pearland City Council on May 11, 2026, held a special meeting that combined ceremonial oaths of office with routine council business. Members unanimously approved Resolution R2026‑79, sworn in newly elected officials including a person who identified himself during the oath as Winston Wilkes for mayor, and elected Mona Chavarria as mayor pro tem.

The meeting opened with procedural remarks from the presiding mayor, who certified a quorum and explained public-comment procedures before turning the floor over for comments and the swearing-in sequence. During new business the council considered Resolution R2026‑79; a motion was made and seconded and the roll-call vote returned a 7–0 result in favor of the resolution.

Multiple oath ceremonies followed. The transcript records a sworn recitation that names Tommy Echols taking the oath of office for a council position and—later in the ceremony—a person who recited “I, Winston Wilkes, do solemnly swear…” as mayor. The record also references Quentin Wiltz/Wilts in the meeting remarks and in a presented certificate; the transcript contains inconsistent spellings of that name. The person who completed the mayoral oath is recorded in the transcript as saying “So help me God” upon completion of the oath.

Mayor Pro Tem Clint Byram served as emcee for parts of the ceremony and introduced the swearing-in sequence and recognitions. The council recognized a long-serving member for more than a decade on the dais and presented a portrait in honor of that service.

After the ceremonial items, Member Cozza moved to nominate Mona Chavarria as mayor pro tem; the motion was seconded and a roll-call vote recorded a 7–0 result electing Chavarria to the post.

The outgoing mayor delivered extended prepared remarks reflecting on six years in office, the city’s response to COVID‑19, investments in infrastructure and flood mitigation tied to the 2023 bond program, and gratitude to staff and family. “Pearland’s future is bright,” the mayor said, urging citizens to remain involved in local government.

What’s next: the meeting record shows the council completed the swearing-in ceremonies and elected a mayor pro tem; no additional formal actions were recorded beyond Resolution R2026‑79 and the mayor pro tem election. The presiding officer adjourned the meeting following congratulations.

Attribution: Quotes and attributions in this article come from the meeting transcript. Speakers are identified by the names or role labels they provided in the record (for example, Congressman Al Green identified himself when speaking during public comment; the mayor was addressed as “mayor” in the record but did not provide a full name in the transcript). The transcript uses multiple spellings for one mayoral name (Quentin Wiltz / Wilts / Winston Wilkes); this article reports the spellings as they appear in the record and notes the inconsistency rather than reconciling to an external source.