Southeast : Deadline Extended in City Council Race

Filing for the Long Beach City Council election closed Friday, but the deadline for the open seat in District 4 has been extended to 5 p.m. today because incumbent Thomas J. Clark has opted not to run.

So far, five candidates have filed for Clark’s seat, including businesswoman Sandy Blankenship, attorney-educator Dennis Carroll, retired contractor Mike Horrigan and business consultant Craig Koehler. Clark, who has served 30 years on the council, has thrown his weight behind marketing executive H. Delano Roosevelt.

If no one gets 50% of the vote plus one in the April 9 election, District 4’s two top contenders will face off in June.

In District 2, candidate Wally Kim has been disqualified with an insufficient number of signatures from registered voters in his district, said Deborah Wright, chief deputy city clerk. Because incumbent Alan Lowenthal now faces no opposition, the City Council will vote Tuesday to appoint the Cal State Long Beach professor and save election costs, she said.

Minister Richard Harris is up against District 6 incumbent Doris Topsy-Elvord, and in District 8, university administrator Ray Grabinski is challenging incumbent Jeffrey Kellogg.