After pulling papers to run for the Bakersfield City Council, Larry Koman said on Wednesday that he’s not going to run for the Ward 5 seat that was opened by the death of Councilman Jeffrey Tkac.
Appearing on “The Ralph Bailey Show,” Koman said he couldn’t compete with the money that candidate Ryan Nance was going to bring into the race, and that he didn’t want to take away from the candidacy of Bruce Freeman, a former developer, who has been the target of frequent attacks by Nance.
“It has become clear to me that Bruce Freeman and I have been fighting the same fight,” Koman told host Ralph Bailey. “We are both fighting Ryan Nance and if I stay in the race I’m going to take resources away from Bruce.
Koman said that he supports Bruce’s candidacy for the Ward 5 seat.
“It’s important to me that the Ward 5 seat go to a business-minded person,” Koman said.
During the last week, Nance has aggressively attacked Freeman’s residency, and voter registration. While Freeman calls Bakersfield home, he also has a vacation home in Newport Beach, but Koman said that Freeman is the right person for the seat.
“People in Bakersfield want Bruce to be on the City Council,” Koman said.
The only candidates to submit their paperwork is Nance, who finished third in the 2016 election, Freeman, and Noel Pineo.
