Architect enters city race

Longtime Newport Beach resident and real estate advisor Rush Hill has entered the fight for the open District 3 Newport Beach City Council seat, making it a race among three political veterans.

Hill, who on Tuesday filed papers with the city to run for the open seat, said he is running on a platform of “fiscal responsibility and really finding a solid financial continuation in the city.”

A Newport Beach resident since 1975, Hill has extensive political experience.

He worked as a policy advisor for then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. Hill also has long been active in local politics. He was a founding member of the city’s economic development committee and was chairman of the body for five years. Hill served two terms as chairman of the board for the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

A licensed architect, Hill also served on the advisory committee to choose an architect to design the new Newport Beach City Hall.

He serves on the city’s Charter update commission, which is in charge of streamlining the city Charter and doing away with redundant and outdated laws.

The Chamber of Commerce named Hill its Citizen of the Year in 1997. Hill heads Newport Resource Management, a strategic real estate advisory firm. Hill said he will bring a pro-business point of view to the City Council during hard economic times.

“We need to develop reliable predictable income sources that are well-balanced and support the quality of life that we enjoy,” Hill said.

Hill will battle at the ballot box in November with attorney and former Democratic congressional candidate Steve Young and Ed Reno, a director of public affairs for the Irvine-based pharmaceutical giant Allergan Inc.

Young called Hill’s entrance into the race a “mixed blessing.”

“I would prefer a two-person race — it’s always easier to do a one-on-one race, but it’s good to have quality people in the race,” Young said. “It allows all voices in the city to be heard.”

All three candidates say they are running on pro-business platforms.

Reno has said that, like Hill, he is a fiscal conservative.

“[Hill is] a nice guy,” Reno said. “My campaign is about addressing the issues, and I’ll look forward to having a discussion about the direction of the city with him.”

The deadline to enter the race is Aug. 6.

Council members Nancy Gardner (District 6); Mike Henn (District 1) and Leslie Daigle (District 4) also are up for reelection in November, but no challengers have stepped up.

Webb must vacate his District 3 seat due to term limits.