Hill-Reno match the title fight
Newport Beach City Council candidates will spar Tuesday night at an election forum, the third of six community debates leading up to the November election.
Most political observers are watching the match-up between Rush Hill, an architect who is tied into the Newport political establishment, and Ed Reno, a pharmaceutical lobbyist who is positioning himself as an outsider.
They’re running for the District 3 seat, which represents the west side of Upper Newport Bay. City residents can vote for all district races. The other contested seat is for District 4, which includes the neighborhoods of Eastbluff and Santa Ana Heights.
In that race, incumbent Leslie Daigle is defending a challenge from Mark Tabbert, an environmentalist who has said that the City Council is too pro-development.
The development of the new Civic Center has become a sort of political football — Reno in the last debate said its construction cost was out of control, while Hill and Daigle have maintained that the project is on track. Hill served on the citizens’ design oversight committee, which made recommendations to the City Council on the project.
Besides the Civic Center, the candidates have disagreed on few issues. Most concurred during the last debate that the city needed to trim public employee pension costs.
Hosted by the Central Newport Beach Citizens Assn., Tuesday’s forum will be held at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post, 215 E. 15th St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. The public is welcome.
Another upcoming debate in Newport-Mesa will combine candidates for the Costa Mesa City Council and Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board. It will be hosted by the Costa Mesa Community Athletic Foundation, and will take place Oct. 6 at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center.
If You Go:
What: Newport Beach City Council Candidates Night
Who: Hosted by Central Newport Beach Citizens Assn.
Where: American Legion Post No. 291, 215 East 15th St., Newport Beach
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday. Doors open at 6:30.