25-year-old banker announces city council candidacy

A 25-year-old Bank of America banker running for Half Moon Bay City Council is profiled by the County Times.

Council member Bonnie McClung has told the County Times she’s not planning to run for re-election. With three seats up for grabs this year, at least one incumbent out of the race, and the Beachwood debacle hanging over the election, this year’s race could be a free-for-all in which anything could happen.

"The average person can’t afford to see their dreams come true out here. I can’t afford it," he said on Monday during a lunchtime coffee break. "If I wanted to be a business owner in Half Moon Bay, it would be too hard, too expensive. And we’re not even allowing the one percent of growth (approved by voters in 2004)." ...

Property rights, "smart growth," environmental stewardship and better local services for youths and seniors are the focus of Hoelzel’s campaign, which will officially kick off when he submits his nomination papers to City Hall in the next couple of weeks.  ...

"I would have undone those roadblocks and made sure he (Keenan) could have built in an environmentally sustainable way," said Hoelzel, referring to Beachwood.

"Growth is a bad word around here but it’s what is going to get us out of this financial state," he continued. "That $33 million — that’s going to affect my generation, and there’s not going to be any prosperity if we’re going to be paying those dollars out for wetlands."

The deadline for filing is August 8, but it will be extended to August 12 if any incumbent does not file nomination papers.