F.V. council candidate pool expands to five
The race for Fountain Valley City Council had expanded to five candidates as the deadline to file paperwork approached Wednesday afternoon.
According to Deputy City Clerk Kathy Heard, five candidates had qualified by the Independent’s print deadline: incumbent Steve Nagel, former Councilwoman Cheryl Brothers and challengers Bryan Tice, Patrick Tucker and Duy Tan Nguyen.
The deadline to submit paperwork was 5 p.m. Wednesday.
By Friday, the original deadline for candidates to submit paperwork, Councilman Larry Crandall had not declared his candidacy. As a result, nonincumbent challengers were given an extra five days.
Crandall, reached Friday afternoon, said he opted not to seek reelection because he has served three terms on the council already. In 2004, he supported a voter-approved measure to limit the city’s council members to three consecutive terms.
“I said four years ago that, being the father of term limits, I was going to lead by example and not run for reelection in 2012,” said Crandall, who noted that he could have run for another term because council members who served in 2004 were grandfathered in. “Today has come and gone, and I have not filed papers.”
Brothers, who served two terms before losing a reelection bid in 2010, said her experience on the dais might make up for Crandall’s absence, especially when dealing with budgetary issues.
“It’s not a time for beginners,” she said. “It’s a critical time in local government. I think experience is needed.”
Tucker, a vice president of operations at Allen Tire Co., and Nguyen, an assistant branch manager for Chase bank, ran before in 2010. Tice, as an 18-year-old La Quinta High School graduate, is a first-time contender.
Tice said he has been closely involved with the city for years with the Chamber of Commerce and Fountain Valley Community Foundation. He said a desire for “new blood” on the council inspired him to run and that he planned a grass-roots campaign.
“At this moment, it’s all door to door, talking to people, shaking hands,” he said. “That’s how I want my campaign to be run. I’m not going to stop walking until the day of the election.”
Tucker said he has no plans to be a career politician and views the office as a public service.
“I’m putting my name out for the citizens of Fountain Valley to decide who the best candidate would be,” he said. “Based on my business background, I think I have a lot to provide to the city.”
Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, voiced a similar sentiment to Tucker’s.
“I want to make the city a better city to live in and leave it for future generations,” he said.
Twitter: @MichaelMillerHB