Covina : 22 Plan to Run for Council

A field of 22 candidates, including several leaders of last month’s highly successful recall movement, are running for five Covina City Council seats that will be decided in the Nov. 2 election.

The filing deadline for candidates was extended to Aug. 6 after Gov. Pete Wilson signed special legislation enabling Covina to merge its election with the Nov. 2 statewide special election. Initially, Covina had set the election for Oct. 5, with a filing deadline of July 29. On that date, 17 candidates had returned their candidacy applications to the city clerk.

Six additional candidates took advantage of the extended deadline to file for candidacy, and one candidate--Hilary F. (Bill) Mayers--withdrew his application.

The six candidates who filed between July 29 and Aug. 6 are: Bill Mason, 43, a free-lance writer and chairman of a pro-recall group called Covina Citizens for Good Government; Kenneth Bergman, 50, owner of American Shavings, which buys and sells wood shavings; Robert J. Cruz, 39, an environmental compliance specialist who serves on the Planning Commission; Jim Mihalka, 34, a paramedic with the Los Angeles Fire Department; Dennis O’Brien, 47, a 20-year resident and owner of an El Monte pawnshop; and Brian Akers, 46, owner of Aborta-Bug Pest Control in San Dimas.

Mason joined a list of five other recall leaders in town who are running for council.

Most of the candidates say they want to make the City Council, and city government in general, more open to the public. Many have vowed to be frugal and attempt to avoid raising or creating taxes. Most say they want to balance the budget without imposing a utility tax.