The battle for the District C Hanford City Council race is now a three-man race.

Just in the nick of time, Richard Douglas, a city parks and recreation commissioner, has filed paperwork with the Hanford City Clerk's office and qualified to run for the district that generally spans the east part of Hanford. The nomination period for the seat closed on Friday.

Douglas, 54, joins the race with Dan Chin, incumbent in his re-election campaign, and Mike Spicer, a former California Highway Patrol officer and a former Hanford Joint Union High School District board member. Douglas is the stepfather to Jon-Michael Hice, a candidate running for the adjacent District B seat.

Jim Castleman, an employment and job training technician at the Kings County Job Training Office who also pulled nomination papers last week, didn't file his.

On Tuesday, Douglas acknowledged he may not have the name recognition that Chin and Spicer have but expressed his confidence in "making Hanford a better place to live."

Douglas currently serves on two city-affiliated commissions: the parks and recreation commission and the visitors agency board; as well as two county commissions: the fish and game commission and the Avenal Prison citizens advisory board.

"I don't feel I'm an underdog. Sure, I'm not a high-profile person, but experiences through serving on those committees and commissions gives me the confidence that I can assist the community and make Hanford a better place to live," Douglas said.

Douglas said his motivation for running was to give constituents a choice if they want to see a change in the district that has been long represented by incumbent Dan Chin.

"Mr. Chin has served the city well for a number of years," Douglas said. "I'm hoping for an opportunity for people in the district to say it's time for change."

Douglas says his first priority is to ensure recruitment and retention of police officers and firefighters to avoid the kind of public safety personnel shortage Hanford faced last year. Regarding the development of the Plunge area, Douglas wants to make sure the replacements are in place before the facilities are gone.

Douglas also says he would look further into a traffic issue that has recently resulted in a $15 million settlement of a negligence claim against the city. "I think the issue should have been dealt with before somebody was hurt," Douglas said.

Douglas is a van driver for Family Health Care Network. His wife, Cee Hice Douglas, made an unsuccessful run for the city council in the past.

Meanwhile, the District B race is heating up to be a crowded battlefield.

Four candidates have so far filed paperwork and qualified to run for the seat representing central Hanford currently held by outgoing incumbent Marcie Buford.

The filing period for District B closes today.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(Aug. 13, 2008)