Advertisement

Councilman to run for supervisor

Share

This post has been updated, as noted below.

Huntington Beach Councilman Joe Carchio confirmed Wednesday that he will run for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors next year.

The one-time mayor of Huntington Beach is vying for outgoing Supervisor John Moorlach’s seat in the Second District.

“It’s my time to do this now,” Carchio said. “I think that I can bring a lot of new ideas to the county and work hard with the supervisors that are there now that I have a lot of admiration for.”

Advertisement

The councilman, whose term with Huntington Beach will end in December 2014, will be running against California State Board of Equalization member Michelle Steel, whose term is also coming to an end, for the seat that covers Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach.

“I’ve always admired her and the work she’s done there on the State Board of Equalization, but that’s not like Huntington Beach or any county,” Carchio said. “I just think I can do a great job.”

Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) stated in May that he was considering running for the same position.

Chad Morgan, Mansoor’s chief of staff, said Wednesday that the assemblyman is still considering entering the race.

Carchio has served more than seven years on the Huntington Beach City Council and serves as a liaison to multiple groups in the city, including the Children’s Needs Task Force and the Community Services Commission He and is working on assembling a downtown task force.

“I’ve got a good pulse on what’s needed to move the county forward,” he said. “Being associated with all the boards and commissions that I am on, it also gives me an in-depth view on what is needed in the county.”

Carchio said he’s looking to file his application by early next week and has more than $100,000 in commitments to start his campaign.

“I know I’m going to have to raise a considerable amount of money in order to compete in the race and I think that I have the ability to do that,” he said.

Moorlach is familiar with Carchio and his work and serves alongside him on the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission.

He said he hasn’t officially made an endorsement.

He said he’d like to see someone local, like Carchio or Mansoor, fill his position.

“I’ve known Michelle Steel for a long time,” Moorlach said. “She just recently moved to the county of Orange, so that makes for an interesting dynamic. That’s why Joe Carchio or Allan Mansoor become a little more attractive as candidates.”

[Updated, 1:45 p.m. July 29: Jim Moreno, a Huntington Beach resident who serves on the Coast Community College District board of trustees, is also running for the District 2 seat. ]

Advertisement