Chamber Chairman Brown enters council race
Newport Beach Planning Commissioner Tim Brown announced this week that he will seek the seat held by termed-out Councilwoman Leslie Daigle in 2014.
The chairman of the Lobsterfest Foundation has set his sights on the District 4, which covers Harbor Cove, Eastbluff, Newport Center and several other communities.
“My agenda is not having an agenda,” Brown said Tuesday. “I’m not running on a personal issue.”
Brown said he wants to “continue the responsible leadership we have had in Newport Beach” while listening to residents’ concerns about the city. “This is an important job, not something I take lightly. It is important to spend time in the community. I’ve been working toward this for 15 to 20 years now.”
The 28-year resident is board chairman of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and is on the board for Leadership Tomorrow, a program from which he graduated in 1999, and was chairman of for three terms.
“The civic experience is what sets me apart,” Brown said. “I’ve been preparing myself for this opportunity for years, and I am excited.”
Brown is also a past president of the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and a member of the Commodores Club.
With his background in the community, Brown said he is often asked why has sought public office.
“People keep asking me why it took so long for me to run,” he said. “Part of this was Leslie Daigle served two terms. I wanted to wait till the seat was open.”
Although residents are happy in Newport Beach, Brown said he hears concerns.
He said he wants to see a revitalization of the Peninsula, Balboa Beach and Mariners Mile areas. John Wayne Airport restrictions remain important and “everything must remain in place there.”
Brown also voiced a concern about keeping the Upper Newport Bay estuary habitat healthy and intact.
Brown earned his doctorate in Institutional Management at Pepperdine University in 1996, according to a release.
As a professor at Riverside City College, he has served as English and Speech Communication Department chairman.
The commute to Riverside is worth it because “I can live in Newport Beach. Every time I drive home I feel like I am going on vacation.”
Even though the elections are more than a year away, Brown is the second candidate to formally declare candidacy for District 4.
Fight promoter Roy Englebrecht announced his run last week. Other registered candidates include Joseph Stapleton for District 1 and Michael Toerge for District 6.
Along with Daigle, District 6 Councilwoman Nancy Gardner and District Councilman Mark Henn will be termed out.
Mayor Pro Tem Rush Hill’s District 3 seat is up for election, but he said he intends to run.