Mike Glenn declares Newport council bid
Mike Glenn, an 11-year Balboa Peninsula resident and activist, has entered the 2016 race for Newport Beach City Council.
Glenn, a registered Republican and owner of a software development company, filed paperwork Tuesday declaring his intent to run in District 5. The seat represents Balboa Island, Linda Isle, Harbor Island, the Fashion Island area and a portion of Big Canyon.
Glenn, 35, decided to move from his home on the peninsula to Balboa Island to run for City Council sooner instead of waiting until 2018, when the District 1 seat will again be up for grabs.
“That’s a very long time to wait,” he said. “I’m scared of what would happen to Newport Beach.”
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The city charter allows a candidate to run for a seat in a district as long as they have been registered to vote in that area for at least 30 days prior to the election.
I just can’t sit back on the sidelines anymore. We have to have a voice of the people in there and that’s what I intend to do.
— Balboa Peninsula resident Mike Glenn on running for Newport Beach City Council
Glenn said his motivation to run stems in part from the debate about the city’s fire ring placement and the discussion of enforcing county rules regarding off-leash dogs along the stretch of sand near the mouth of the Santa Ana River.
Glenn has been critical of Mayor Diane Dixon’s actions on various Balboa Peninsula issues on his website, “Save Newport,” and during public meetings.
“Since the last election we’ve had people in there who are self-proclaimed believers in small government and what we’ve seen is an increase in taxes, expenditures and repeated attempts to strip property rights from the people,” Glenn said. “I just can’t sit back on the sidelines anymore. We have to have a voice of the people in there and that’s what I intend to do.”
This isn’t the first time Glenn has planned to run for City Council.
In 2014, he announced his bid for the District 1 seat, which represents the peninsula and Lido, but backed out before filing official paperwork. Dixon went on to win the seat.
If elected, Glenn would replace Councilman Ed Selich, who will be termed out next year after serving on the council since 2006. Jeff Herdman, a 17-year Balboa Island resident critical of much of the Team Newport voting bloc, is also running.
Three City Council seats will be in play during the November 2016 election.
In addition to Selich, Councilman Keith Curry, who represents District 7 (Newport Ridge and Newport Coast), will be termed out. Fred Ameri, a longtime Newport resident and a former planning commissioner, and local attorney Will O’Neil, a Finance Committee member, have launched campaigns for the seat.
Councilman Tony Petros, who represents District 2, which includes Newport Heights and Newport Crest, has declared his intent to run for reelection, according to city documents.
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Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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