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Planning commissioner, activist and incumbent win Fountain Valley council seats

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Four years on the Fountain Valley Planning Commission prepared Patrick Harper for his promotion.

Harper is headed to the City Council after Fountain Valley voters Tuesday picked him, community activist Kim Constantine and incumbent Michael Vo for the three available seats on the five-person council.

Harper ran for the council in 2014, not long after being appointed to the Planning Commission, and he came in fourth behind three incumbents. As he continued with the commission, he got a good sense of city service, he said, and became well-versed in the Fountain Valley Crossings rezoning project, one of the town’s major issues. He also became known to residents.

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Harper’s switch to the council will make use of his planning and development knowledge as the city begins its general plan update. He also plans to tackle the budget, tapping his professional background as a certified public accountant. He said he wants the city to be prepared with a balanced budget when the Measure HH sales tax sunsets in 2037.

“I just want to do a good job for the city,” he said.

Vo, the current mayor, led all candidates in the election with 16.1% of the vote with all precincts reporting.

He thanked voters for keeping him in his seat.

“I’m honored to continue service,” he said. “There’s a lot more to be done.”

Harper, who collected the second-highest vote total, and Constantine, who placed third, replace veteran council members John Collins and Larry Crandall. Collins is termed out, and Crandall chose not to run.

Crandall served from 1998 to 2012 before he was appointed back to the council this year to complete the term of Mark McCurdy, who resigned in January.

Collins and Crandall will take a combined 43 years of institutional knowledge with them, but council members Cheryl Brothers and Steve Nagel, whose terms end in 2020, also are experienced. Brothers has 12 years of council service so far, and Nagel has 10.

RESULTS

Vote totals and percentages

Michael Vo (incumbent): 5,651 (16.1%)

Patrick Harper: 5,560 (15.9%)

Kim Constantine: 5,213 (14.9%)

Glenn Grandis: 4,415 (12.6%)

Tom Nguyen: 3,923 (11.2%)

Dave Osborn: 3,880 (11.1%)

Patrick Tucker: 3,762 (10.7%)

Nick Lecong: 2,617 (7.5%)

Source: Orange County registrar of voters office, with all precincts reporting

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD

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