Fred Ameri enters Newport City Council race

Fred Ameri, who over the past several decades has served on various committees in Orange County and Newport Beach, became the first candidate this week to enter the 2016 City Council race.

Ameri, who has lived in Newport Beach for more than 40 years, filed paperwork this week announcing his intent to run for the council’s District 7 seat, which represents Newport Coast and Newport Ridge.

“I wanted to give back further to my community,” he said. “I know a lot about the history of the city and based on that experience I can be an asset to our City Council from a pragmatic point of view.”

Ameri, who is a registered Republican, said he decided to run for council at the conclusion of his stint on the Newport Beach Planning Commission, which he served on from 2010 to 2014.

If elected, the 75-year-old Newport Ridge resident would replace Councilman Keith Curry, who will be termed out next year after serving since 2006.

“Fred is a distinguished civic leader who cares very much for the future of our community,” Curry said.

Ameri is no stranger to local government. In addition to serving on the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board for 13 years, he was also chairman of the World Affairs Council of Orange County, which works to promote a better understanding of the political and socio-economic conditions of other countries.

Until his retirement in 2012, Ameri was a senior vice president at Irvine-based RBF Consulting, a large civil engineering consulting firm that does business throughout Orange County.

There will be three City Council seats in play during next year’s election.

In addition to Curry, Mayor Ed Selich, who represents District 5, which encompasses Balboa Island and the Fashion Island area, will be termed out. The District 2 seat, which represents Newport Crest and Newport Heights, currently held by councilman Tony Petros, will also be up for grabs. Petros has not yet declared his intent to run for reelection.

In the 2014 election, the City Council was shaken up by the election of Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon, as well as Councilmen Scott Peotter, Marshall “Duffy” Duffield and Kevin Muldoon, who ran on a reform slate known as “Team Newport.”