Political season is loud and here

It has begun. You may hardly notice it now, but soon fliers will fill

your mailbox, signs will clutter your vision and ads will inundate

your downtime. That’s right, it’s time to stop being mere residents

and become voters.

Last week, potential candidates began taking out election papers

to run for office.

In Surf City thus far, we have one incumbent, Debbie Cook,

returning for another go at her seat, with Pam Julien Houchen termed

out and Connie Boardman bowing out.

Boardman said she needs to return her focus to teaching.

So with three open seats and only one with stiff competition, we

are assured there will be at least two new faces on the council next

year. If Cook is defeated, the entire council will have changed from

what it was just two years ago.

That’s not exactly a good thing.

Although Cook’s strong opinions and no-nonsense attitude throw

many people off, she has done a good job of trying to keep this city

on track and out of legal trouble. Since ousting incumbents is never

easy, we’ll likely have one veteran on the board. But we’ll have to

wait and see.

As for our other contenders, thus far we have at least four

familiar candidates. Realtor Keith Bohr, narrowly defeated by Gil

Coerper in 2002, is back for another go at the dais. He sat there

briefly as a Planning Commissioner but stepped down after a minor

conflict of interest.

Peter Albini, an electrical engineer who ran in 2002, has thrown

his hat back in the ring. In that election, Albini listed the budget

shortfall as the city’s biggest issue. Also back from the 2002

election is C. Jim Moreno, a healthcare administrator who has served

on several city and civic committees.

Contender No. 4 is Norm Westwell, who has run for City Council and

school board positions several times over the years.

The never-say-die attitude of these candidates is admirable.

It is difficult to lose a race and still go back and try again.

There is a large contingency in Surf City that wants to see the

community grow and thrive while retaining the small-town qualities

that make it great. Members of that contingency are vocal, willing to

roll up their sleeves and get busy.

There are likely to be many more Huntington Beach residents taking

out papers in the coming weeks. The competitive field is always full

here.

For that, Surf City should be proud of the many choices it

produces each election.