4th time the charm for Otting?

In the first week in which individuals picked up nomination papers to run for Newport Beach City Council, incumbent Keith Curry learned he will be facing a familiar foe.

Dolores Otting, a businesswoman from Newport Beach, picked up her papers earlier this week and plans to run for the District 7 seat, Curry’s, which will be her fourth attempt at the City Council.

“People are not too happy with the current City Council, and people want a change,” Otting said. “I was asked by a lot of people if I would do it and they promised to help, so I said OK.”

Unlike Costa Mesa, Newport Beach elects council members based on districts.

A person must live in the district they are running for and will only compete against others running for that seat, but all registered voters in the city can vote their choice for each district.

Curry, a financial advisor near retirement, also announced his intentions to run this week, stating his record in his two and a half years of service is strong. The councilman also listed a number of his well-known supporters in a news release, such as Rep. John Campbell, Sen. Tom Harman, Assemblymen Chuck DeVore and Van Tran, Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, and current council members Leslie Daigle and Michael Henn.

“I would point out that the citizen satisfaction survey showed 80% of citizens are satisfied,” Curry said. “I am tired of the same old naysayers, that despite the citizen survey, can find nothing good to say about the city.”

Incumbent Mayor Ed Selich and Councilman Steve Rosansky also announced their intentions to run for reelection.

Rosansky said he had contributed a lot to the city as a councilman, citing the Sunset Ridge Park, veto rights over John Wayne Airport expansion and improvements on the Superior Avenue median as major victories.

Rosansky’s major obstacle may be the ongoing battles over group homes, many of which are in his district.

“I have a pretty darn good record on group homes,” Rosansky said.

Some citizens claimed Rosansky has been deceptive on the issue and doesn’t represent their best interests; but the councilman believes those claims won’t have a place come election time.

“They can say what they want,” he said. “There are enough other people that know the truth, and that is what will ultimately prevail in November.”

The other candidate who stands in Rosansky’s way is unknown Ivan Moad, who picked up papers earlier this week, according to the City Clerk’s office.

At the moment, no one has picked up papers to run for Selich’s seat.

All the candidates said they are in the midst of developing campaign strategies and literature that would be ready at a later date. While they all have picked up their nomination papers, none of them have filed to date.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].