Election 2024: Two incumbents, newcomer enter race for Rancho Mirage City Council seats

Three people — two incumbents and a challenger — have launched campaigns for a pair of Rancho Mirage City Council seats that will be on the November ballot. With several months left before the filing deadline, more candidates could emerge.

For now, the three candidates are Councilmembers Ted Weill and Michael O’Keefe and challenger Wayne Avrashow.

Weill, the current mayor pro tem who has served on the council since 2012, confirmed he would seek another term in a campaign announcement last week.

“It’s been an honor to serve on the Rancho Mirage City Council for the past 12 years,” Weill, a Navy veteran who has worked in real estate with a focus on master-planned communities, said in a prepared statement.

“I’ve worked hard every day to serve as an accessible, responsive, and effective advocate and deliver results for residents,” he added. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I look forward to continuing to serve our great city.”

O’Keefe was appointed to the council in December from a field of 11 applicants, following the resignation of long-time councilmember Richard Kite.

O’Keefe, who served on the city’s cultural commission before his appointment and most recently worked as researcher and writer for the Health in Aging Institute, moved to Del Webb Rancho Mirage in 2019 after living in Desert Hot Springs, where he also served on several boards.

In an announcement last week, O’Keefe said his time on the council “has allowed me to use the skills I developed while volunteering for charities and city governments,” adding he will strive to protect the city’s financial health, promote tourism and local businesses and advocate for “conscientious growth” if elected.

“I am committed to preserving the cultural and architectural history of Rancho Mirage while working towards a secure future for our City,” O’Keefe said.

His campaign announcement included endorsements from the other four current members of the council, along with Kite. The council decided late last year to appoint a new member rather than hold a special election, citing the $114,000 cost of a standalone special election for Kite’s brief remaining term.

The only other person to file a candidacy intention statement with the city clerk so far is Avrashow, an attorney who previously worked in Los Angeles city government before recently moving to Rancho Mirage.

In his campaign announcement and during the council’s November meeting, Avrashow was critical of the council deciding to appoint a replacement for Kite. He noted that three of its five current members — Weill, O’Keefe and Mayor Steve Downs — were initially appointed to the council before seeking full terms. (Weill was first elected in 2014, while Downs won a seat in the city's 2022 election.)

“This scheme of constant appointments fails to pass the smell test on transparent governance,” Avrashow said in a campaign press release.

Among his specific plans, Avrashow said he would push for some council meetings to be held at 5 p.m., instead of the usual 1 p.m. slot, while creating ways for residents to testify virtually on matters before the council. Noting how crucial sales and transient occupancy taxes are for the city, he also said he would push to create an “ombudsman" at city hall to retain, assist and attract local businesses.

“We deserve a Rancho Mirage City Council that matches the sophistication of our city’s residents,” Avrashow said. “California has a massive budget deficit looming, and my experience will aid the city in navigating through the stormy waters of reductions in state spending that can impact our city.”

Several months remain for other candidates to emerge in the race for the two open council seats. The city’s nomination period officially opens July 15 and runs through Aug. 9.

The citywide election will be held along with the presidential election on Nov. 5.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Election 2024: Two incumbents, newcomer enter race for Rancho Mirage City Council seats