‘Life is never boring for me’

Mayor Ed Selich is a regular at the Galley Cafe on the water near East Coast Highway and Bayside Drive, a cozy ’50s-style diner tucked away on a quiet side street, where the coffee is strong and the kitchen serves up heaps of steaming eggs and hash browns.

The diner staff all know Selich by name. He likes to conduct business meetings there and recommends the chili-cheese omelet.

Newport Beach’s new mayor prefers jeans to a suit and hates long meetings. He likes to cruise around town in a customized black and chrome Harley-Davidson chopper. Although he loves things that go fast — cars, boats and bikes — his fellow City Council members say he’s thoughtful, methodical and diplomatic.

With a controversial ballot measure over where the next city hall will be located and a heated public debate over a proposed ordinance to curb the spread of drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes in Newport Beach, Selich has his work cut out for him over the next year.

One of Selich’s three custom-built bikes was stolen out of his garage earlier this week. Selich thinks the thief must have rolled it down the street late one night while he was in bed asleep before firing up the motor. To add insult to injury, the perpetrator also took his helmet and riding gloves.

“It’s more valuable in pieces than together,” Selich said. “The parts are probably all over EBay by now.”

Selich planned to take a cross-country trip on his bike through Utah and Colorado to Chicago and back via historic Route 66 last summer, but real estate ventures and his duties as a councilman kept him from going. With his new job as mayor, he doubts he’ll have time to go this summer either.

“Life is never boring for me, there’s always so much to do,” he saidid.

Selich has lived in Newport Beach for the past 28 years. He never planned to become mayor — and never aspired to serve on a City Council. He was appointed to his district, which includes Newport Center and Fashion Island, in 2005 and won reelection in 2006.

“I know everyone says this, but I don’t have any political aspirations beyond mayor. I just want to serve my community,” Selich said.

The new mayor knows what makes a city work, said Councilwoman Leslie Daigle, who briefly served with Selich on the Newport Beach Planning Commission.

“He’s well-versed in all the planning aspects and framework of the city,” Daigle said. “I’ve always found him someone who I can speak candidly with. He builds strong relationships with everyone on council and has a lot of experience working with people.”

Selich worked in the Planning Department for the city of Huntington Beach. He also spent 10 years on the Planning Commission in Newport Beach and served three terms as chairman.

Selich recently worked with Councilman and immediate-past Mayor Steve Rosansky to broker a multimillion-dollar development agreement with the Irvine Co. Selich showed a cool head and persistence during negotiations, Rosansky said.

“He always does his homework, he thinks things through before he speaks, as opposed to speaking before he thinks,” Rosansky said. “He’s always pushing people to get things done instead of people pushing him. He tends to be results-oriented.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.