Councilman Challenges Cathie Wright : Elections: The Fillmore official says he’s an alternative candidate to the assemblywoman in the race for the Senate seat, which includes the Valley.

Fillmore Councilman Roger Campbell announced Wednesday that he will challenge Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) in the Republican primary for an open state Senate district that stretches from Oxnard to the San Fernando Valley.

Campbell said he decided to run against Wright because she has lost touch with average citizens and because of her attempts to intervene with law enforcement authorities when her daughter ran up 24 speeding tickets over seven years.

“I think honesty and integrity are two things an elected official should have,” said Campbell, 41, owner of Campbell’s Auto Repair in Fillmore. “I believe in my heart that I am a better candidate.”

Wright dismissed Campbell’s concerns about her ethics as garbage and old news.

“Oh, we’re going to play that game again,” Wright said of the ticket-fixing allegations raised against her in 1990. “I thought Roger was my friend.”

Wright was the first to declare that she would seek the party’s nomination in the new 19th Senate District. The seat is being vacated by Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita), who announced his long-rumored retirement last week.

Campaign finance statements show that Wright has about $88,000 to begin her Senate campaign in the heavily Republican district.

“Actually, I’m pretty close to $100,000 because I’ve got about $10,000 in checks since the cutoff date for the statement,” Wright said.

She said she would raise more money if she needed it to win.

“If it is just Mr. Campbell running against me, I don’t have to worry too much,” Wright said. “Coming from Fillmore, I’m sure the voters don’t know him in Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks or Northridge or Chatsworth.”

Charles H. Jelloian, an assistant to former President Ronald Reagan, has expressed interest in the race but has not declared his candidacy. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Initially, Campbell said he was also considering running in the 38th Assembly District, but backed off after scrutinizing the voting record of first-term Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills).

“I did not think I could do any better of a job than she has been doing,” Campbell said.

In considering the Senate race, he said he has long been disturbed by reports that Wright “was trying to get her daughter out of speeding tickets.”

Campbell presented himself as an alternative candidate, a solid citizen who took over his father’s auto repair business in 1978 and has served on the Fillmore City Council since 1984. He is the father of two teen-agers and has spent 19 years as a volunteer firefighter, including the last decade as assistant fire chief.

“I think the voters are looking for honest, regular people with good common sense to run for state office,” Campbell said. “I am someone who understands the difficulties of running a business and raising a family during these tough economic times.”