ANAHEIM : Ehrle to Run Again; 4 More Get Papers

Councilman William D. Ehrle announced Thursday that he will seek reelection, while four more potential opponents, including two well-known community activists, have picked up nomination papers from the city clerk’s office.

Ehrle may face challenges from Keith Olesen, who most recently was chairman of the city’s anti-gang task force, and Bob Zemel, a planning commissioner who last year was chairman of a group that opposed building a county jail near Anaheim Hills.

Also picking up nomination papers this week were Fares Batarseh, a 33-year-old bakery sales manager, and Ed Skinner, who describes himself on city documents as self-employed.

Councilman Tom Daly, the other incumbent whose term is expiring, said Thursday that he will seek reelection but has not yet picked up nomination papers. He and the others have until Aug. 7 to file their paperwork with the city clerk.

Ehrle, 50, director of government affairs for the development firm of Hill Williams, was first appointed to the council in 1986 to replace Don R. Roth, now a county supervisor, and was elected to a full four-year term in 1988. He said he should be reelected because he is “a proven leader.”

“I’ve helped run the city through some tough fiscal times with severe cuts . . . without affecting the Police or Fire departments and even adding 59 sworn police officers,” Ehrle said.

Olesen, 40, a computer components salesman, said he is targeting Ehrle, not Daly, for defeat.

“Ehrle is tied in too closely with the developers,” Olesen said. “That’s where he gets his money and that’s who he represents.”

Olesen decided to run when the council cut the budget for street maintenance and other “quality of life” items.

“Neighborhood issues--public safety, keeping the streets up, maintaining the sidewalks--those are the types of things local government was instituted for,” Olesen said. “They cut back on those things, but they are still spending money on bureaucratic things such as hundreds of thousands of dollars for travel and meeting expenses.”

Zemel, 39, a mortgage broker, said he wants to be an instrument for change.

“That is the issue--whether people want to stick with the status quo or do they want change,” he said. “It’s the Ross Perot thing, where people feel they need to have an alternative. I am the one alternative who has a chance to win. But I’m not running against either incumbent in particular. Replacing either one would be a change.”

Batarseh, a newcomer to Anaheim politics, said: “It’s my city and I want to make it safer. The crime rate is getting higher and the City Council has a lot of power to stop that. I want to beef up the number of police officers on the street.”

Skinner, 47, owner of a concrete repair company, is also a new to Anaheim politics. He said the city’s fast growth is taking a toll on quality of life and its “Disneyland image.”

“We need to get back to the image that Anaheim is a good place to live,” Skinner said. “The city is getting dirty and there is too much crime. Growth is inevitable, but it shouldn’t be so willy-nilly.”

Others who previously took out nomination papers are Melvin A. Aguilar, one of the founders of the Set Free Church; Donna D’Anella, an assistant bakery and delicatessen manager; Frank Feldhaus, a telephone service agent; Todd Kaudy, a first-year law student; Phil Knypstra, a community college business professor and frequent council critic; Manuel Ontiveros, an 18-year-old Savanna High School graduate; and Gregory Ramsey, a health care manager.

To be placed on the ballot, the candidates must get the signatures of 20 registered voters who live in Anaheim.