Council candidates Lee Fink, John Nielsen and Ryan Gallagher Everyone has an advantage in the Tustin City Council elections, where everyone will play an important role in determining how Tustin decides to consider development throughout the city.

Tustin now elects council members by district. Gallagher leads his opponent, clay wool69% to 30% in District 4.

Fink leads Planning Commissioner Tanner Douthit in District 1 between 51% and 48%.

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

Fink and Nielsen would be the new members of the City Council. The City Council is made up of four councilors and the mayor.

The candidates spoke of the opportunity in Tustin to grow with new businesses and housing while respecting the city’s history.

Gallagher said he is excited to have the community’s 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 in Tustin Legacy, which is in his district. These include new housing, new bridges, a new dog park and an experiential shopping center comparable to The LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa.

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

“We have these opportunities to participate,” Gallagher said. “We need the public to participate so they can receive this information from the beginning.”

Fink, an attorney, said people are concerned about affordability in Tustin. The opportunity to address this, he said, comes with construction in the Tustin Legacy neighborhood, but also on vacant lots throughout the city, to make it easier for families to afford to live in Tustin.

“Tustin has the opportunity to do that, but we need a forward-thinking council that tries to build those places for people and families to live,” Fink said.

Fink also said he wants to create a system to make it easier for people to talk to someone at City Hall who can listen to their concerns and address them.

Douthit trails Fink by about 200 votes. Douthit said he is watching the count closely. Douthit said if elected, he hopes to make it known that Tustin is open for business and is cutting red tape.

Douthit, the planning commissioner, said his priorities would 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 long time and just want to make sure that some of the reasons people originally moved to Tustin still apply: a charming character, a good sense of community and friendly, walkable areas for walk. eat and drink,” Douthit said.

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