GARDEN GROVE : Kessler and Leyes Will Run for Mayor
Two political allies on the City Council--Frank Kessler and Mark Leyes--say they will compete for the mayor’s job when incumbent W.E. (Walt) Donovan retires in November.
A third councilman, J. Tilman Williams, said this week that he is undecided but may enter the mayor’s race if physical examinations show that he is in “tiptop condition.”
Kessler, 59, a Garden Grove police chief for 13 1/2 years before being elected to the council nearly four years ago, announced his candidacy before a recent City Council meeting.
Kessler said he will follow Donovan’s policies “to bring redevelopment forward.”
Leyes, 33, is completing his second year on the City Council. He said he first discussed his intention to run about two months ago.
Leyes, who is a government relations worker for the Orange County Water District, said Garden Grove needs a younger leader “who will be an activist for the city on county, state and federal levels.”
Robert F. Dinsen is the only councilman who is ruling out a mayoral bid.
“The one who wants it the most and who spends the most money will win,” Dinsen said. “They’ll both have lots of room to attack the other.”
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