PORT HUENEME : Turner, Sharkey Join Council Race

The president of the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce and a music production manager have announced that they will run for City Council in the November election.

Robert E. Turner, 52, and Jon Sharkey, 45, said they will run for two of the three council seats on the fall ballot.

Turner, a dentist and chamber president for about six years, said he is entering the race to help improve the city’s economy.

“I see a need for a new partnership between our city and local business,” Turner said. “Particularly between the harbor and the city.”

Turner was once an Oxnard Harbor District commissioner.

Sharkey, a former keyboard player, is now a self-employed production manager. He contracts with entertainment companies and works in arranging lighting and staging for concerts.

“We have a city government which is very remote from the citizens,” said Sharkey, who has lived in Port Hueneme since 1983.

“It is time we have a new direction for the city.”

Neither candidate has previously run for a city office.

The terms of three council members expire this year. They are James Daniels, who has been on the council since 1988; Ken Hess, a councilman since 1982, and Dorill Wright, a council member since 1972.

None of the three has said whether he will seek another term.

The official filing period opens Monday and closes Aug. 11. Candidates can file at City Hall.