15 pull election papers
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Jose Paul Corona
With four City Council seats up for grabs in November, at least 15
Huntington Beach residents have already visited the city clerk’s
office and pulled the necessary paperwork that will allow them to run
for local office.
So far, only one has filed the required forms.
C. Jim Moreno was the first candidate to submit forms, making his
candidacy official.
Moreno is an administrator at the Department of Mental Health. The
57--year-old has lived in Huntington Beach for the past 15 years and
is the father of four daughters. Two of them graduated from Marina
High School, and the other two graduated from the Orange County
School of Performing Arts. Moreno threw his hat in the ring in
January for the seat vacated by Dave Garofalo. At that time, he spoke
of creating a symbiotic relationship between the city’s youth and
senior citizens.
Public safety and keeping local beaches clean are two other main
issues of Moreno’s campaign, he said.
Moreno said getting in the race early is an indication of the
seriousness of his desire to serve.
“If you’re serious about this, then you better be first,” he said.
Of the other 14 potential candidates, many are familiar faces
around town. A handful of them -- high school teacher Diane Lenning;
Norm Westwell, vice president of operations and scuba sales at
Truwest in Huntington Beach; 16-year Surf City resident Stephen
Garcia; and activist Joey Racano -- were City Council candidates in
2000, as well as applicants for the seat vacated in January.
Small-business owner and Huntington Beach native J. Devin Dwyer
and veteran police officer Gil Coerper, who both ran in 2000 but did
not apply for the job in January, will also seek office.
Keith Bohr, a real estate consultant and former assistant project
manger for the city who sought the open seat in January, also
promises a return to the political spotlight.
Although he has yet to file the paperwork, southeast Huntington
Beach resident Don Hansen said he will also vie for one of the four
open seats.
The 30-year-old manager of the Commercial Finance Group at Balboa
Capital Corp. in Irvine predicted that what happens in this race will
hold the key to the city’s future.
“This election is going to set the tone for the City Council for
the next eight years,” he said.
Although he’s a newcomer to local politics, the game is not a new
one to Hansen, who served as the president of the student senate
while attending the University of Southern California.
“I’ve always been drawn to public service,” he said. “I see this
as a great opportunity for Huntington Beach. [I want to] create some
opportunities for our residents.”
Back to the gates for her second race of sorts is Planning
Commissioner Jill Hardy, who also applied for the position vacated
when Garofalo stepped down from the council.
Hardy, who was appointed to the commission by Mayor Debbie Cook,
has served on the commission for the past two years. Besides her work
on the Planning Commission, Hardy has been involved with the
Huntington Beach Historical Society, Huntington Beach Tomorrow and
the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
She teaches math and economics at Huntington Beach High School.
Preserving the Bolsa Chica wetlands in its entirety is one of
Hardy’s top priorities.
Hardy said her work with the Planning Commission will give her an
advantage over other candidates.
“I think that I’ll be up to speed with things that are going on in
the city,” she said.
Hoping to snag the seat her husband will leave because of the
city’s term-limit rules is Cathy Green, wife of Councilman Peter
Green. She has pulled papers to run.
Clem Dominguez, a contributing writer who reviews films for the
Independent also plans to make his political debut.
Some of the new residents who are planning to run include Peter G.
Albini, Bob Lillis and Kathleen Mello-Navejas.
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