15 pull election papers

Jose Paul Corona

With four City Council seats up for grabs in November, at least 15

Huntington Beach residents have already visited the city clerk’s

office and pulled the necessary paperwork that will allow them to run

for local office.

So far, only one has filed the required forms.

C. Jim Moreno was the first candidate to submit forms, making his

candidacy official.

Moreno is an administrator at the Department of Mental Health. The

57--year-old has lived in Huntington Beach for the past 15 years and

is the father of four daughters. Two of them graduated from Marina

High School, and the other two graduated from the Orange County

School of Performing Arts. Moreno threw his hat in the ring in

January for the seat vacated by Dave Garofalo. At that time, he spoke

of creating a symbiotic relationship between the city’s youth and

senior citizens.

Public safety and keeping local beaches clean are two other main

issues of Moreno’s campaign, he said.

Moreno said getting in the race early is an indication of the

seriousness of his desire to serve.

“If you’re serious about this, then you better be first,” he said.

Of the other 14 potential candidates, many are familiar faces

around town. A handful of them -- high school teacher Diane Lenning;

Norm Westwell, vice president of operations and scuba sales at

Truwest in Huntington Beach; 16-year Surf City resident Stephen

Garcia; and activist Joey Racano -- were City Council candidates in

2000, as well as applicants for the seat vacated in January.

Small-business owner and Huntington Beach native J. Devin Dwyer

and veteran police officer Gil Coerper, who both ran in 2000 but did

not apply for the job in January, will also seek office.

Keith Bohr, a real estate consultant and former assistant project

manger for the city who sought the open seat in January, also

promises a return to the political spotlight.

Although he has yet to file the paperwork, southeast Huntington

Beach resident Don Hansen said he will also vie for one of the four

open seats.

The 30-year-old manager of the Commercial Finance Group at Balboa

Capital Corp. in Irvine predicted that what happens in this race will

hold the key to the city’s future.

“This election is going to set the tone for the City Council for

the next eight years,” he said.

Although he’s a newcomer to local politics, the game is not a new

one to Hansen, who served as the president of the student senate

while attending the University of Southern California.

“I’ve always been drawn to public service,” he said. “I see this

as a great opportunity for Huntington Beach. [I want to] create some

opportunities for our residents.”

Back to the gates for her second race of sorts is Planning

Commissioner Jill Hardy, who also applied for the position vacated

when Garofalo stepped down from the council.

Hardy, who was appointed to the commission by Mayor Debbie Cook,

has served on the commission for the past two years. Besides her work

on the Planning Commission, Hardy has been involved with the

Huntington Beach Historical Society, Huntington Beach Tomorrow and

the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

She teaches math and economics at Huntington Beach High School.

Preserving the Bolsa Chica wetlands in its entirety is one of

Hardy’s top priorities.

Hardy said her work with the Planning Commission will give her an

advantage over other candidates.

“I think that I’ll be up to speed with things that are going on in

the city,” she said.

Hoping to snag the seat her husband will leave because of the

city’s term-limit rules is Cathy Green, wife of Councilman Peter

Green. She has pulled papers to run.

Clem Dominguez, a contributing writer who reviews films for the

Independent also plans to make his political debut.

Some of the new residents who are planning to run include Peter G.

Albini, Bob Lillis and Kathleen Mello-Navejas.