# Fountain Valley City Council Compare records and positions simply between Dan Hay, Katy Wright, Kim Constantine, and 6 more for Fountain Valley City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds one of three at-large seats on Fountain Valley's City Council. The council has five members, serving staggered four-year terms. Members vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Each year, the council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor. - Jurisdiction: City of Fountain Valley - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 3 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/fountain-valley-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 3, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 7 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Dan Hay** — Orange County Commissioner/Businessowner - **Katy Wright** — Speaker/Artist/Writer - **Kim Constantine** — Businesswoman/Council Member · Incumbent - **Jim Cunneen** — Fountain Valley Mayor/Businessman · Incumbent - **Elizabeth Andrade** — Community Services Executive - **Mark Leonard** — Entrepreneur - **Harrison F. Dibblee** — Educator - **John Nguyen** — Engineer/Environmentalist - **Patricia Odette Neal** — Registered Nurse A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Nine candidates are running for three of the five at-large seats on Fountain Valley's City Council: incumbents Jim Cunneen (the sitting Mayor) and Kim Constantine, plus seven challengers. A third incumbent whose seat is up this cycle, Patrick Harper, is not on this ballot — he is not seeking reelection. Vote for up to three; no primary. Fountain Valley is a general-law city. Council seats carry staggered 4-year terms, so only three of the five seats are up in any given cycle. Winners vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use; the council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each year — the county's own official candidate document lists no separate Mayor race on this ballot, confirming the title is not separately elected — and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. The city has been studying a possible move to charter-city status (the council voted 4-0-1, with Constantine abstaining, in January 2026 to prepare a community survey on the question), but any resulting ballot measure is targeted for 2028, not this election. Two of the three sitting officeholders whose terms are up are running again; none of the seven challengers currently holds city office. Candidate backgrounds below are drawn from each filer's own occupation/title as declared to the county on their nomination paperwork, plus — for the two incumbents — the city's own staff biography pages; that combination is the most this pass could independently confirm for the challengers in the time available. ## Jim Cunneen An incumbent and the sitting Mayor, selected for that role by the council (council members choose the Mayor annually from among themselves; it is not a separately elected office). His filed ballot designation is "Fountain Valley Mayor/Businessman." Per his city staff biography, he is a civil engineer with 36+ years of experience, a regional manager who has consulted on projects including the OCTA I-405 widening, John Wayne Airport, and the ARTIC transportation center in Anaheim; he holds a degree from CSU Long Beach and, per the same bio, has been pursuing admission to the California State Bar through American College of Law. **Strengths:** Already serving as Mayor, with a 36-year engineering career and prior public service on the school board, Planning Commission, and other city bodies, per his bio. **Trade-offs:** His city bio labels him "Vice Mayor" in places, conflicting with the roster's "Mayor" — likely an unrevised bio, not a fact about this election. **Keep in mind:** A long-tenured resident (roughly 29 years, per his bio) with deep involvement in city bodies before winning council office. ## Kim Constantine An incumbent Council Member. Their filed ballot designation is "Businesswoman/Council Member." Per their city staff biography, they were born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and lived in Lebanon and Australia before settling in Fountain Valley; they were named the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce's Ambassador of the Year in 2011 — the first person nominated from the floor in the Chamber's 45-year history at that time — and served four years as a Chamber board director before running for council. **Strengths:** A business and chamber-of-commerce background predating their council service, plus incumbent experience already on the council. **Trade-offs:** Abstained on the council's January 2026 vote to study a possible charter-city transition; reporting doesn't explain why. **Keep in mind:** Their city bio emphasizes a long personal history of international relocation before settling locally, alongside the chamber and business credentials. ## Elizabeth Andrade A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Community Services Executive." **Strengths:** A community-services executive background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Harrison F. Dibblee A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Educator." **Strengths:** An education background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Dan Hay A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Orange County Commissioner/Businessowner," indicating they currently serve on an Orange County commission in addition to a business background. **Strengths:** Their filed designation indicates both current county-level commission experience and a business background. **Trade-offs:** The specific county commission isn't identified in the county's filing record, and no independent confirmation was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Mark Leonard A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Entrepreneur." **Strengths:** A business-founding background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Patricia Odette Neal A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Registered Nurse." **Strengths:** A healthcare-profession background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## John Nguyen A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Engineer/Environmentalist." **Strengths:** An engineering and environmental background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Katy Wright A challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Speaker/Artist/Writer." **Strengths:** A public-speaking, arts, and writing background, per their own filed designation. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed city government service was found in the time available for this pass. **Keep in mind:** Their filed designation is the primary record available here; a fuller record would need their own campaign materials or local news coverage not reachable this pass. ## Sources 1. [OC Registrar of Voters -- Contest/Candidate Proof List, General Election 11/3/2026 -- City of Fountain Valley section (pages 88-91 of 188): confirms Member, City Council (Vote for 3, 9 qualified candidates -- Dan Hay, Katy Wright, Kim Constantine, Jim Cunneen, Elizabeth Andrade, Mark Leonard, Harrison F. Dibblee, John Nguyen, Patricia Odette Neal) as the city's only November 2026 race, each candidate's filed ballot designation, and incumbency for Cunneen and Constantine -- a third sitting officeholder whose term is up, Patrick Harper, does not appear among the 9 qualified candidates, confirming he is not seeking reelection -- and verifies the local-authoring queue's "9 candidates" flag as accurate for this single at-large contest.](https://ocvote.gov/fileadmin/user_upload/data/candlog/GEN2026/candlog.pdf) 2. [City of Fountain Valley -- City Council page ("The citizens of Fountain Valley elect 5 members of their peers to represent them on the City Council"; 4-year staggered terms) and November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election page (3 seats up this cycle, the terms held by Cunneen, Harper, and Constantine), plus the city's Charter City page confirming Fountain Valley remains a general-law city (a charter-city ballot measure, if any, is targeted for 2028, not this cycle)](https://www.fountainvalley.gov/156/City-Council) 3. [Wikipedia -- Fountain Valley, California (government section): cross-checks the current 5-member council roster (Mayor Jim Cunneen, Vice Mayor Patrick Harper, and Council Members Kim Constantine, Glenn Grandis, and Ted Bui) against the city's own site](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_Valley,_California) 4. [Voice of OC -- "Another Orange County Town Debates Becoming a Charter City" (Sep 29, 2025): independent reporting on Fountain Valley's general-law status, the council's 4-0-1 vote (Kim Constantine abstaining) to study a charter, and two 2025 community town halls -- cited only for this governance context, never for a claim about a specific November 2026 candidate](https://voiceofoc.org/2025/09/another-orange-county-town-debates-becoming-a-charter-city/) 5. [City of Fountain Valley -- Council Member staff bio: Jim Cunneen (civil engineer, 36+ years' experience; OCTA I-405, John Wayne Airport, and ARTIC project consulting; CSU Long Beach; two terms on the Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees, Planning Commission, Community Foundation, Housing and Community Development Board, chaired the General Plan Advisory Committee)](https://ca-fountainvalley.civicplus.com/directory.aspx?EID=178) 6. [City of Fountain Valley -- Council Member staff bio: Kim Constantine (born Allentown, PA; lived in Lebanon and Australia before settling in Fountain Valley; Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year 2011 -- first person nominated from the floor in the Chamber's 45-year history at that time -- and 4 years as a Chamber board director before running for council)](https://ca-fountainvalley.civicplus.com/directory.aspx?EID=152) 7. [City of Fountain Valley — campaign-disclosure FPPC Form 460 statements posted as individual PDFs on the city's own website (found via its document-center site search), checked by candidate name 2026-09-03: incumbent Jim Cunneen's and Kim Constantine's committees, and challengers Elizabeth Andrade's and Dan Hay's committees, each filed a mid-year Form 460 for the period 1/1/2026-6/30/2026 with real itemized totals; no Form 460 was found on the city's site for the other five candidates -- Harrison Dibblee, Mark Leonard, Patricia Odette Neal, John Nguyen, and Katy Wright](https://www.fountainvalley.gov/search?searchPhrase=Form%20460) ## The rest of the ballot Fountain Valley City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Fountain Valley City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/fountain-valley-council (sources last retrieved September 3, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.