Carson Mayor Al Robles accuses former mayor, Jim Dear, of election fraud

CARSON, Calif. (KABC) -- The former mayor of Carson and the new mayor went head-to-head at Tuesday's city council meeting.

"This is a charade beyond belief," said Carson City Clerk Jim Dear, who served as Carson's mayor for 11 years. "This is all part of a big game they're playing tonight. It's a psychological trick."

Dear wasn't finished counting the votes of a city council election that Jawane Hilton currently leads. Mayor Albert Robles accused Dear of committing election fraud.

"Thoroughly disappointed that two weeks later, we still don't have these ballots counted," Robles said. "I will be damned if I'm going to allow that to happen, here in my city."

The council tried to swear in Hilton, even though Dear hasn't certified the election.

"They're just playing you for a fool. If you think you're a council member right now, you're not," Dear said.

Dear insisted that the council didn't have enough legal members for an official meeting.

"You're breaking the law," he said. "You're making a mockery out of the law and a mockery out of the city of Carson."

Dear said he plans to sue the city for multiple alleged infractions.