Newport-Mesa Unified trustee announces run for City Council

A second competitor has entered the race for the Newport Beach City Council.

On Friday, Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee Michelle Barto announced her bid for District 2, which represents Newport Heights, Westcliff, Newport Shores and West Newport. Barto will run for election against community activist Nancy Scarbrough. Both will run to succeed Councilman Brad Avery, who will finish his second term next fall.

The election will be held Nov. 5, 2024, and will include Districts 2, 5 and 7.

It is so far unclear who will run in District 7. Mayor Noah Blom is expected to run for reelection in District 5, which represents Balboa Island.

Barto was first elected to the school board in 2018 and served as its president last year. She is a small business owner and has been involved with the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, the Pretend City Children’s Museum, the Harbor Council PTA, Project Hope Alliance, the Newport Beach Foundation’s Distinguished Citizens program and a trustee and president on the Coastline Regional Occupational Program Board.

Barto was born and raised in east-side Costa Mesa and moved to Newport Beach in 2008. She has lived in her district since 2012.

“When I ran for school board, the systems for educational development, achievement and facilities weren’t in place. We didn’t have really strong leaders seeing this through at a staff level, but we do now, and we have a lot of great things that we’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time,” Barto said.

She said the school district faces the same challenges as the city, such as speeding e-bikes, traffic and homelessness, but notes they are community issues.

“A key component of that comes down to supporting our law enforcement, but I ... [may look] at the problem a different way than other people might have because of my time with working with youth and families on the school board,” Barto said.

Her main focuses are on public safety and quality of life, protecting Newport Harbor and continuing fiscal responsibility within the city. She said she announced early because of encouragement from her supporters.

“I think I make the best candidate for District 2 because of the experience I bring in working on community solutions with [the City Council], the school district and local law enforcement,” Barto said.