kowalfoto The back story: Back in April, Mike Kowal became the first candidate in the 2012 campaign for the Long Beach City Council. Kowal filed to run in the 8th District, where Rae Gabelich faces the term-limit ordinance after serving eight years. Kowal has lived in the 8th district—in the same home—for nearly 30 years while becoming a well-known real estate broker and community activist. At the July 5 council meeting, a long fight over redistricting ended when 7th district council member James presented plan he’d kept secret until the last minute—one which redrew the southern boundary of the 8th district less than a half-block north of Kowal’s home. The plan was approved by a 7-2 vote so shocking that an editorial in LBReport.com called it proof that Long Beach is being run by a political machine.  Kowal suddenly went from the only candidate in the 8th district to a resident of the 7th district. He can still run in the 8th, or he can stay in the 7th and run against Johnson in 2014, or … let’s just say there’s another meeting of the Recall James Johnson Committee tonight.

The question: Are you going to run for City Council in the 8th district or the 7th district or not at all?

Mike Kowal’s answer: Yes! (He chuckles and pauses.) Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got to let this thing unwind and see what happens. If I’m going to run in the 7th district I’m sure not going to wait two years—it would depend on whether or not Johnson is recalled and whether or not a good candidate emerged in the 7th. In the 8th, well, we’ll see who throws a hat in the ring. Right now it’s Al Austin and I. Who knows, maybe Rae Gabelich will run a write-in campaign. If that happened, and she won, and if Johnson is recalled and I won … well … that would certainly be a turn of events that didn’t turn out well for the machine.