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We are fortunate in Newport Beach to have a slate of excellent candidates campaigning for City Council seats this November. For what it is worth, I would like to share my thoughts on some of the candidates.
DISTRICT 1: Having known and been a close friend of Joe Stapleton for over 10 years, I have been greatly impressed with his leadership qualities and organizational skills. He gets things done. He works hard for the community and truly loves Newport Beach. Joe earns my support based on his impressive and successful record of serving the City through the many various community organizations he has participated in and presided over.
That said, I have come to know Tom Miller, who sincerely cares for the City and possesses impressive business leadership qualities that will benefit the community in the years ahead.
DISTRICT 3: I need to disclose that Erik Weigand lives in my neighborhood, and I know him to be a good and solid, independent minded, thoughtful person who has deep roots in the community, making Erik my choice for this District seat.
At the same time, the community owes Jim Mosher a debt of gratitude for his long standing role of being a “City government watchdog” spending many hours attending City government meetings, a role that he is perfectly suited for and should continue in the service of the City he embraces and effectively serves.
DISTRICT 4: Robyn Grant will be an exceptional City Council member and future Mayor. For the past 20 years she has served in organizations and roles that benefitted our community and has done so with little fanfare and even less ego. Robin has my fully support and is a wonderful person on top of all of her accomplishments.
DISTRICT 6: This race has two strong candidates; however, I am supporting current City Council member Joy Brenner because she has already proven herself to be a hard worker, who is constantly out in the community engaging and listening to her constituents and consistently making decisions based on what she thinks is best for the community she knows so well.
That said, I have much respect and value my friendship with Lauren Kleiman who is currently serving as the Chair of the City’s Planning Commission. No doubt, Lauren will be a strong and effective community leader for years to come, and I look forward to supporting her in any future pursuits.
In addition, Diane Dixon is my strong choice for the State Assembly’s 72nd District seat.
In summary, we have the luxury of having some excellent City Council candidates this election. I urge voters to dig into their backgrounds, ignore the mailings and “hit pieces” and make your voting decisions based on proven track records of achievement.
In order for Newport Beach to be the best, it needs to elect the best representatives possible. The choice is up to you.
Homer Bludau, Newport Beach City Manager 1999-2009
Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Firebrand Media or its employees.
