Port Hueneme : Green to Retire From City Council

Port Hueneme residents unhappy with recent decisions made by the City Council were pleased to learn Thursday that longtime Councilman Dean Green will be stepping down this year.

Green, 78, announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in November, ending a 12-year stint as councilman. His wife, Alma, said Green decided to retire because he is in poor health and feels that 12 years of service is enough.

“He said it was time to get someone else on there with new ideas,” she said. Green was not available for comment.

His decision was welcomed by some beach-area property owners angry about the city’s approval of a new taxing district and a project to build a recreational vehicle resort near their homes.

“We’ve been waiting to hear what Dean Green was going to do and hoped he would announce his plans soon,” said resident Dorothy Blake.

Blake and a dozen other residents formed People for Port Hueneme earlier this year to recruit candidates to run for the two open seats. The lack of an incumbent will make it easier to capture Green’s seat, Blake said.

The other seat is held by Mayor Orvene Carpenter, who said Thursday that he hasn’t decided whether he will seek reelection. Carpenter, 67, a retired postmaster, has held office for 24 years.

Beach-area residents are unhappy about a plan to build a 10-acre RV park on the south end of Hueneme Beach. The homeowners also are angry about a beach assessment district created last year that requires them to pay for maintenance of Hueneme Beach.