Election 2020: Glenn Grandis is in command of Fountain Valley City Council race
Two newcomers to the Fountain Valley City Council held their leads Thursday night as the Orange County Registrar of Voters continued to tally ballots.
Glenn Grandis, chief financial officer of the Fountain Valley Community Foundation, held a commanding lead within the pack of seven candidates, garnering 9,756 votes as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Coming in second, with 8,330 votes, was Ted Bui, a small businessman. Closely following behind him was Mayor Cheryl Brothers, a veteran of the dais, with 7,880 votes.
The results were based on all precincts reporting in, but the registrar still had an estimated 175,516 ballots left to count from throughout the county.
“I’m cautiously optimistic, but very optimistic,” Grandis said Wednesday of the results. “I received so much support from so many people I didn’t know. They stepped up, helped deliver fliers, made phone calls, did texting on my behalf.”
If elected, Grandis, a 40-year resident and alumnus of Fountain Valley High School, said he wishes to address the city’s debt, support small businesses through the pandemic, and determine the new development options for Fountain Bowl, whose property is up for sale, and Boomers, which is closed.
The owners of Fountain Bowl plan to sell the 60-lane bowling alley due to the economic hardship brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We want to develop them in a way that maintains our nice place to live,” Grandis said.
Bui thanked Councilman Steve Nagel, who did not seek reelection, and Brothers for their decades of service.
Bui added, “However, the people of Fountain Valley have spoken. They want new faces and new vision for the community.”
He also thanked his family, supporters and donors, saying his potential victory “belongs to you all as well. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Brothers, who was appointed mayor in December, has been a longtime leader on the council, serving terms from 2002 to 2010, then returning in 2012.
She said with her potential departure, and Nagel leaving, a lot of historical knowledge is leaving the dais.
“We worked hard over the years to leave the city in good shape,” Brothers said. “Hopefully [the new council members] keep it that way.”
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, trailing the top three were Mai-Khanh Tran, a pediatrician, with 7,566 votes; Jim Cunneen, a Fountain Valley School District trustee, with 6,312 votes; Tom Nguyen, a director for the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, with 3,173 votes; and Mary Pham, retired medical worker, with 2,529 votes.
Check dailypilot.com for continuing election coverage and results.
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