Council Candidates Lee Fink, John Nielsen And Ryan Gallagher all have leaders in the Tustin City Council races, where they will all play an important role in determining how Tustin decides to view the city’s development.

Tustin now elects council members by districts. Gallagher leads his opponent, Lana Clay69% to 30% in District 4.

Fink heads the planning commissioner Tanner Douthit in District 1 from 51% to 48%.

District 2 was the only race with multiple candidates and Nielsen has a large lead over his opponents with more than 55% of the vote. Nathan Yeargin And Bill Esbit have 26% and 17% respectively.

Fink and Nielsen would be the new city council members. The municipal council is made up of four municipal councilors and the mayor.

Candidates spoke about the opportunity for Tustin to grow with new businesses and homes while respecting the city’s history.

Gallagher said he was excited to have community support to return to the city council. He felt his concerns as a resident reflected what voters also care about: public safety and quality of life.

He said the community has a lot of momentum for new projects at Tustin Legacy, which is in his district. These include new housing, new bridges, a new dog park and an experiential mall comparable to the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa.

He also said he looks forward to launching community engagement with a subcommittee focused on Tustin Legacy that will hold public meetings on the future of the south hangar and the north hangar of the former Marine Corps Air Station starting next year.

“We have these opportunities to engage,” Gallagher said. “We need public participation so we can get that input up front. »

Fink, an attorney, said people are concerned about affordability in Tustin. The opportunity to solve this problem, he said, lies in building in the Tustin Legacy neighborhood, but also on empty lots throughout the city, to make it easier for families to afford to live in Tustin.

“Tustin has the opportunity to do this, but we need a forward-thinking council to try to build these places where people and families can live,” Fink said.

Fink also said he wants to create a system that makes it easier for people to speak with someone at City Hall who can hear and address their concerns.

Douthit is behind Fink by about 200 votes. Douthit said he was watching the count closely. Douthit said if elected, he hopes to get the word out that Tustin is open for business and cutting red tape.

Planning Commissioner Douthit said his priorities will also include helping Old Town Tustin maintain its identity while ensuring the city can grow responsibly.

“Many people have lived in the area for a very long time and just want to make sure that some of the reasons people initially moved to Tustin remain applicable: charming character, a good sense of community, and friendly, accessible areas to foot eat and drink,” Douthit said.

Measure IIwhich would increase the term limits of the mayor and council members, is also in the lead with 53% of voters in favor.