news story / By John C. Osborn

Wardshopping

Eureka City Council candidate Michael Newman is a new man on the block

(Aug. 19, 2010)  Once again, a candidate running for office in Eureka shows how that city’s ward system, in its current form, is flawed and perhaps even irrelevant.

Michael Newman, chairman of the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and adviser to Shaw and Petersen Insurance, is one of the three contenders for the soon-to-be vacant Third Ward Eureka Council seat — incumbent Jeff Leonard will be termed out — but unlike his competitors in that race, Ron Kuhnel and Xandra Manns, he is new to the neighborhood.

Michael Newman addresses supporters at his campaign kickoff last week. PHOTO BY JOHN OSBORN

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Newman, who until recently lived in the Second Ward, near Myrtletown, moved into an E Street apartment in July in order to run for the Third Ward seat. He also re-registered to vote, first at an I Street location and then again at the place on E, according to voter registration records. Both locations fall withing the Third Ward. He also changed his party affiliation from Republican to “decline to state” in that same period.

Newman said that he moved to the E Street apartment because the place on I Street had problems and that his move into the ward was mainly for purposes of running for office. He said he didn’t want to wait for 2010, when the Second Ward seat, currently held by Linda Atkins, opens up.

“This was the time in my life that was best for me to do it,” he said.

In Eureka’s system, the city is divided into five areas, and each council member is elected from those wards. In order to be eligible to be a candidate of any particular ward, a candidate must have his or her primary residence within that part of the city and must also be registered to vote there, said Eureka City Clerk Pam Powell. A candidate doesn’t have to live in a ward for a certain amount of time, and the only enforcement that exists to determine whether a candidate qualifies or not is a voter registration check with the Humboldt County Elections Office, or if a complaint is lodged.

Xandra Manns, one of Newman’s competitors for the seat and long-time resident of the Third Ward, said she didn’t know much about her new neighbor, but she shared her thoughts about a candidate moving into the ward for the purpose of contending for public office.

“It kind of shows a lack of knowledge and respect for the people here,” she said.

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