Michael Glenn drops out of Newport council race

Newport Beach City Council candidate Michael Glenn announced late Thursday that he no longer plans to run for the District 1 seat.

Facing a 4:30 p.m. Friday deadline for candidates to file their paperwork and officially enter the race, Glenn said he would not seek the position because of the time being taken away from his software development company.

“I have a business that simply demands too much of my time right now,” he wrote in an email to supporters Thursday night. “While I initially thought I could offload these tasks, that is easier said than done.”

He wrote that he also needs to spend more time with this family.

Glenn said he plans to give refunds to his donors — some of whom may have given by way of Bitcoin — and pick up the campaign expenses.

As of Friday morning, Diane Dixon was the only candidate remaining in the District 1 race. Councilman Mike Henn currently represents the district, which includes the Balboa Peninsula, but will be termed out this year. Harbor Commissioner Joe Stapleton withdrew from the race in March.

Glenn said he had done his best to recruit others to run but had been unable to do so.

He plans to continue to attend council meetings as a private citizen. “I have confidence that the council that’s elected in November will be able to fix the major fiscal problems that the current council’s managed to create,” he said.

According to a list maintained by the city clerk, council candidates who had filed as of Friday morning are Dixon, District 1; Duffy Duffield and Mayor Rush Hill, District 3; Tim Brown, Roy Englebrecht and Kevin Muldoon, District 4; and Scott Peotter and Mike Toerge, District 6.