Who will get the third seat on the City Council?
Although balloting for two City Council seats is still a month away, potential candidates already are focusing on the possibility of a special election early next year to fill Mayor Mike Duvall’s council position, since he’ll easily win his state Assembly race on Nov. 7.
Republican Duvall’s opponents are Democrat John MacMurray and Libertarian Brian Cross in the 72nd District, which represents western and central Yorba Linda, as well as parts of Anaheim, La Habra and Orange and all of Brea, Fullerton and Placentia.
District voters include 98,099 Republicans, 64,665 Democrats and 1,334 Libertarians. During the first six months of 2006, Duvall spent $406,741 and MacMurray $13,612. Duvall reported $12,059 cash on hand on June 30, while MacMurray listed $41,843.
Council members will decide how to replace Duvall in December. Options include an appointment--maybe the third-place finisher from Nov. 7--or scheduling another election.
An election is likely, since an appointment would depend on who wins the two seats next month and who comes in third. Animosities often develop among candidates, so winners might not be willing to award a council seat to someone who attacked them weeks earlier.
First contender with a hat in the ring if council calls another ballot is Mark Schwing, a former councilman who served three terms, 1988-2000. Schwing said he’d accept an appointment or run in a special election for the two years remaining on Duvall’s term.
Schwing lost his bid for a fourth term by 101 votes to Allen Castellano in 2000 and a comeback attempt by three votes to Keri Wilson in 2002. He lost a race for a seat on the board of directors of the Yorba Linda Water District by 657 votes to Ric Collett in 2004.
However, Schwing has won five two-year terms on the county Republican Central Committee, twice in the old 72nd Assembly district, which included all of Yorba Linda, and three times in the newer 60th Assembly district, which includes eastern Yorba Linda.
Schwing was ready to run for council again this year. He created a Friends of Mark Schwing ’06 campaign committee in August and arrived at City Hall with the appropriate nominating petition signatures several minutes before deadline but didn’t file for the race.
Although Schwing has attended most council meetings since he left office in 2000, he terminated his previous campaign committee in February 2005. In the process, he gave up hopes of using contributions to repay himself $16,702 he loaned to his committee.
Naturally, many other candidates will emerge if council sets a date for a special election, which would be the second in city history. Gene Wisner’s 1999 council resignation led to a March 2000 ballot, won by Ken Ryan. Interestingly, Wisner also was involved in the only appointment to the council, when he was named to replace Ron McRoberts in 1983.
A FINAL NOTE
Today is the deadline for council candidates who raised or spent $1,000 or more from July 1 to Sept. 30 to file disclosure statements at City Hall. A second pre-election report is due Oct. 26 for income and expenditures from Oct. 1 to Oct. 21.
Reports covering Oct. 22 to Dec. 31 aren’t due until Jan. 31, 2007, and transactions made after Dec. 31 aren’t due until July 31, 2007. In some past city elections, significant sums were deposited to campaign accounts well after voters cast ballots.
The filings, including reports from political action committees, are open to public perusal at the City Clerk’s counter.
Republican Duvall’s opponents are Democrat John MacMurray and Libertarian Brian Cross in the 72nd District, which represents western and central Yorba Linda, as well as parts of Anaheim, La Habra and Orange and all of Brea, Fullerton and Placentia.
District voters include 98,099 Republicans, 64,665 Democrats and 1,334 Libertarians. During the first six months of 2006, Duvall spent $406,741 and MacMurray $13,612. Duvall reported $12,059 cash on hand on June 30, while MacMurray listed $41,843.
Council members will decide how to replace Duvall in December. Options include an appointment--maybe the third-place finisher from Nov. 7--or scheduling another election.
An election is likely, since an appointment would depend on who wins the two seats next month and who comes in third. Animosities often develop among candidates, so winners might not be willing to award a council seat to someone who attacked them weeks earlier.
First contender with a hat in the ring if council calls another ballot is Mark Schwing, a former councilman who served three terms, 1988-2000. Schwing said he’d accept an appointment or run in a special election for the two years remaining on Duvall’s term.
Schwing lost his bid for a fourth term by 101 votes to Allen Castellano in 2000 and a comeback attempt by three votes to Keri Wilson in 2002. He lost a race for a seat on the board of directors of the Yorba Linda Water District by 657 votes to Ric Collett in 2004.
However, Schwing has won five two-year terms on the county Republican Central Committee, twice in the old 72nd Assembly district, which included all of Yorba Linda, and three times in the newer 60th Assembly district, which includes eastern Yorba Linda.
Schwing was ready to run for council again this year. He created a Friends of Mark Schwing ’06 campaign committee in August and arrived at City Hall with the appropriate nominating petition signatures several minutes before deadline but didn’t file for the race.
Although Schwing has attended most council meetings since he left office in 2000, he terminated his previous campaign committee in February 2005. In the process, he gave up hopes of using contributions to repay himself $16,702 he loaned to his committee.
Naturally, many other candidates will emerge if council sets a date for a special election, which would be the second in city history. Gene Wisner’s 1999 council resignation led to a March 2000 ballot, won by Ken Ryan. Interestingly, Wisner also was involved in the only appointment to the council, when he was named to replace Ron McRoberts in 1983.
A FINAL NOTE
Today is the deadline for council candidates who raised or spent $1,000 or more from July 1 to Sept. 30 to file disclosure statements at City Hall. A second pre-election report is due Oct. 26 for income and expenditures from Oct. 1 to Oct. 21.
Reports covering Oct. 22 to Dec. 31 aren’t due until Jan. 31, 2007, and transactions made after Dec. 31 aren’t due until July 31, 2007. In some past city elections, significant sums were deposited to campaign accounts well after voters cast ballots.
The filings, including reports from political action committees, are open to public perusal at the City Clerk’s counter.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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