A licensed architect, Hill also served on the advisory committee to choose an architect to design the new Newport Beach City Hall.
He serves on the city’s Charter update commission, which is in charge of streamlining the city Charter and doing away with redundant and outdated laws.
The Chamber of Commerce named Hill its Citizen of the Year in 1997. Hill heads Newport Resource Management, a strategic real estate advisory firm. Hill said he will bring a pro-business point of view to the City Council during hard economic times.
“We need to develop reliable predictable income sources that are well-balanced and support the quality of life that we enjoy,” Hill said.
Hill will battle at the ballot box in November with attorney and former Democratic congressional candidate Steve Young and Ed Reno, a director of public affairs for the Irvine-based pharmaceutical giant Allergan Inc.
Young called Hill’s entrance into the race a “mixed blessing.”
“I would prefer a two-person race — it’s always easier to do a one-on-one race, but it’s good to have quality people in the race,” Young said. “It allows all voices in the city to be heard.”
All three candidates say they are running on pro-business platforms.
Reno has said that, like Hill, he is a fiscal conservative.
“[Hill is] a nice guy,” Reno said. “My campaign is about addressing the issues, and I’ll look forward to having a discussion about the direction of the city with him.”
The deadline to enter the race is Aug. 6.
Council members Nancy Gardner (District 6); Mike Henn (District 1) and Leslie Daigle (District 4) also are up for reelection in November, but no challengers have stepped up.
Webb must vacate his District 3 seat due to term limits.
