LONG BEACH – Long Beach residents will choose among three familiar faces in the 2003 mayoral election. Now that the filing deadline has passed for the Sept. 12 primary and the Nov. 11 general elections, three prominent public servants have emerged as candidates for the position as the chief elected official of Long Beach.

Joining incumbent Mayor Dale Jacobson in the race, are former two-term mayor Ken Ramsey and former Long Beach Police Chief Dave Sexton.

Jacobson, nearing the end of his first four-year term as mayor, said he is running again to see to conclusion the projects he and the city council began during his first term.

“We are in the process of some really neat projects that I would like to be in office to see through,” said Jacobson. “The priority is getting Discovery Trail completed. The artwork being put in place is going to distinguish Long Beach from anything else on the West Coast as I know it.”

Ken Ramsey has filed for the mayor’s race after a four-year hiatus from city hall. He served as Mayor from 1991 to 1999 and also served for eight years as a member of the city council. When asked why he wanted to run for office again, Ramsey replied with a quick “Well, I’m retired now.”

Four years ago Ramsey decided to step away from municipal government to spend time with family. Now, after retirement from a career with the Public Utilities District and encouragement from community members, Ramsey is ready to get involved again.

“I think it is important as community leaders to find out what the people want,” said Ramsey. “There are times when the city council and the mayor need more cooperation to achieve their goals, and I can aid that cooperation.”

Sexton, who was dismissed as Police Chief in May, now heads the Criminal Justice program at Clatsop Community College and said he wanted to pay back the city for the training he received during his time on the police force.

“I almost feel indebted to the city,” he said. “For last four-and-a-half years Long Beach has kept up my training, my education. I have gone to the best, up-to-date, leadership and management training that they offer every year. Long Beach has invested a lot in keeping me current and I think I owe it to the people of Long Beach.”

Sexton said he did not know who his opponents would be when he paid the $60 registration fee to the county auditor, but he said he thought more people should get involved in order to have a healthy municipal government.

“If you look around at a lot of these small towns you will find politicians for life,” he said. “You don’t get a lot of community involvement, and I think if you are going to be part of a community, it is just your duty to get involved.”