Local News in Brief : Anaheim : Councilman Hunter Will Run for Mayor

City Councilman Fred Hunter has formally declared his candidacy for mayor, setting the stage for a heated race with a council colleague, Mayor Pro Tem Irv Pickler, on the November ballot.

No other candidate is expected to announce for the mayor’s race. Mayor Ben Bay said last month that he intends to retire from the council.

Hunter’s announcement was no surprise; his campaign posters already have appeared around the city.

With $53,000 already banked for the fall campaign, Hunter has raised less than half as much money as Pickler, but he vowed to run “the strongest grass-roots campaign this city has seen for decades.”

Hunter, first elected to the council in 1986, said the city needs “a new voice and aggressive leadership,” and he challenged Pickler to a series of debates.

Hunter denied allegations that he sees the mayor’s seat as a steppingstone to higher office. “I have made a commitment to be mayor for at least two terms,” Hunter said.

The Anaheim mayor’s term runs for two years and is largely ceremonial, with no more power than any other council seat.