Candidates challenging the three Encinitas City Council incumbents running for election on Nov. 4 say the community has lost faith in City Hall because of “dysfunctional” leadership.

PROFILE Encinitas City Council: Voters will elect three of nine candidates on Nov. 4. Population: 63,864 Median income: $90,444 General fund budget: $48 million Candidates: James Bond, incumbent, retired telephone company executive. Anthony Brandenburg, tribal court judge. Rachelle Collier, medical office administrator. Maggie Houlihan, incumbent, retired university librarian. Doug Long, plumber. Bob Nanninga, coffee shop owner, actor, columnist. Harriet Seldin, dentist. Joseph Sheffo, former assistant newspaper editor. Jerome Stocks, incumbent, insurance broker. Online: To read candidate profiles and their answers to a Union-Tribune  questionnaire, go to uniontrib.com/more/vote08 CAMPAIGN FINANCE Campaign contributions collected as of Sept. 30: Jerome Stocks: $24,972 Doug Long: $22,046 Rachelle Collier: $15,218 Anthony Brandenburg: $12,717 Bob Nanninga: $7,560 Maggie Houlihan: $6,556 James Bond: $6,516 Harriet Seldin: $6,350 Joseph Sheffo: $6,226

The election pits the incumbents against a colorful field of six residents including a ponytail-wearing judge, a plumber who coaches youth soccer and a coffee shop owner who writes a newspaper column about environmental issues.

One of the most outspoken candidates, tribal Judge Anthony Brandenburg, contends that the council has allowed “egos, personal agendas and personalities” to get in the way of good governance.

“People can tell there's a dysfunction,” Brandenburg said. “If you talk to (council members) one-on-one they're great, but together they're a train wreck.”

Two incumbents, Jerome Stocks and James Bond, downplayed the differences of opinion among council members, though they acknowledged a 3-2 council split with their majority leaning toward less regulation.

They point to the city's balanced budget, $10.4 million reserve fund and infrastructure investments in street paving and sewer upgrades as evidence that overall governance is solid.

“It's almost like the challengers are struggling to come up with an issue,” Stocks said. “I believe the city is on the right track.”

Council members making up the majority are Stocks, Bond and Dan Dalager. The three men are seen as more conservative than the minority of Maggie Houlihan, also running for re-election, and Teresa Barth.

Houlihan is determined to elect another ally and secure a majority on the council. She has endorsed Rachelle Collier, saying she's a trusted community activist.

Houlihan tends to support progressive policies that give more weight to a development's effect on the overall community. For example, she has pushed for regulating “privacy hedges” such as bamboo that block neighbors' views but was unable to get political support.

“Why should someone be allowed to obscure someone's million-dollar ocean view with junky-looking, unmanicured, fast-growing 'privacy plants'?” Houlihan said.

The challengers are Collier, a medical office administrator; Brandenburg; plumber Doug Long; coffee shop owner, actor and poet Bob Nanninga; Joe Sheffo, a former assistant newspaper editor; and dentist Harriet Seldin. Another candidate, Betsy Aceti, dropped out of the race Tuesday to pursue a film project.

Stocks said the difference between the two factions comes down to property rights and what people can do with their land. He has successfully argued against what he calls “onerous” regulations such as a proposal that would have required homes to have a second story set back by at least 10 feet.

“It comes down to, should somebody be allowed to build six homes if they own land zoned for six homes,” Stocks said, “and how much say should the city have on what you want to plant on your yard and the design of your family room.”

Houlihan said, “Most people in the community feel there should be some restrictions” on what people can build. She said strict zoning rules lead to more attractive neighborhoods with higher property values and bustling business districts, and she noted that property taxes pour $30 million a year into city coffers.

Houlihan has said she tried to “close a zoning loophole” that permits extremely large homes in the Olivenhain community, but she lacked political support.

Stocks and challenger Long have drawn attention recently for their campaign contributions from people involved with land use, including developers such as Accretive Capital Partners, which is proposing a mixed-use project in Olivenhain. Both have received hundreds of other contributions and say that no one can buy their vote.

Several challengers said the council balance is perceived as too friendly to development projects. “There is a sense that the fix is in,” Sheffo said. “People don't trust the council majority to make the right decision on a whole host of issues.”

Collier said, “I think the City Council is elected to represent the community, and I don't think that's happening now.”

Stocks and Bond said they consider each vote for its effect on the city.

“We need to have contrasting views and opinions,” Bond said. “If we all thought the same way, we'd save a lot of money because we'd only need one of us.”

Nearly all the challengers criticized the council – with several singling out the majority faction – for failing to build community consensus on a proposed park in Cardiff, named the Hall Property Community Park after a former owner. Plans for the park call for five multipurpose athletic fields on 44 acres, among other amenities.

Neighbors have called for the design to be scaled back, saying they don't want 90-foot-tall field lights, coaches on megaphones and traffic from soccer tournaments.

Several candidates also said the city has taken too long to build the park since acquiring the land in 2001.

The incumbents pointed out that the council voted unanimously to purchase and clean up the property. They said it has taken seven years to hold public workshops, conduct environmental reviews and address a court challenge from neighbors.

“What people don't understand is that a public process always takes time,” Houlihan said.

Collier is the only candidate who said she would scale back the park, as the neighbors have requested, with fewer soccer fields.

The six challengers have different perspectives about how they compare to the sitting council members.

Collier aligns herself with the minority faction. Brandenburg, Long, Sheffo and Seldin declined to take sides, saying they would probably be swing votes.

“I'll listen to the community,” Long said. “I want them to be telling us what the decisions would be.”

Seldin said, “I have the experience and temperament to work with people with diverse viewpoints and get things done.”

Sheffo considers himself more conservative than the majority with his “no new taxes” stance, but said that on issues of growth and development, Houlihan “for the most part gets it just about right.”

Nanninga said he would be to the left of everyone on the council. He said council members haven't done enough to promote environmental stewardship, water conservation or the acquisition of open space.

“I denounce these 3-2 politics,” Nanninga said. “It's a distraction from the real, important issues.”

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Tanya Mannes: (619) 498-6639; tanya.mannes@uniontrib.com