Former public works director announces bid for Newport council

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Don Webb, a 33-year veteran of the city’s Public

Works Department, will run for City Council in November.

Webb declared his candidacy on Friday for the District 3 seat that

will be vacated by Norma Glover at the end of this year due to term

limits.

“When I retired, I expressed an interest in running for council,” Webb

said. “This is something I really want to do and it seems like now is the

time to announce it.”

Webb retired in July as the city’s public works director -- a position

he says fostered his passion for making Newport Beach the best city it

can be.

“I’ve lived in the community for 37 years and I have a real strong

feel for wanting to stay involved, in helping to make the city even

better,” he said.

Webb said that his experience is the greatest strength he can bring to

office -- understanding the workings of Newport Beach government and

knowing options and alternatives for problem resolution. As an example,

he noted that his expertise in traffic issues could aid his work as a

councilman trying to fix circulation problems.

It was due in part to this expertise that Webb was appointed to the

city’s General Plan Advisory Committee.

He also serves on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Citizens

Oversight Committee, which oversees $163 million in local and state bond

money being used to upgrade the 28 schools in the district. And Webb is

part of the committee to oversee the improvements to Mariners Elementary

School.

As a councilman, Webb said, his priorities would include ensuring that

the general plan update now underway lays out the best possible vision

for the next 25 years, continually improving water quality and making

permanent the current settlement agreement that reins in John Wayne

Airport expansion.

“It would seem to me that that’s the next step,” he said. “Once the

extension of the agreement is in place, it seems the appropriate thing to

do is to work to make it permanent.”

Webb is the second person to declare his candidacy for the City

Council election in November. Earlier this month, Corona del Mar resident

Laura Bekeart Dietz announced her plan to run for Dennis O’Neil’s

District 6 seat. O’Neil, like Glover, will step down due to term limits

at the end of this year.

District 3, which Webb hopes to represent, includes Bayshores,

Baycrest, Castaways, Cliff Haven, parts of Dover Shores, Newport Heights,

Mariners Mile and Westcliff.