East Long Beach City Councilwoman Stacy Mungo Flanigan will not seek a third term on the council, she announced in a statement to residents Thursday.
Mungo Flanigan was one of two incumbents who were drawn out of their own districts during the city’s redistricting process last month. Her El Dorado Park Estates neighborhood and other portions of the 5th District were put into the 4th District, meaning she would have to move to run for the seat again.
Mungo Flanigan and all other declared candidates for the 5th District race were drawn out in the final map adopted by the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission.
Mungo Flanigan said that she would not be moving out of her current home to another that she owns within the new 5th District just so she could run for a third term. The councilwoman has represented the East Long Beach district since 2014.
“I never ran for council to be a politician. I ran because I believed in our community, because I heard from neighbors about things we could improve, and because I wanted to help people and make a difference,” Mungo said in a statement sent to the Post. “If I were to pick up my family, our lives, and move into the new 5th just to run again, I’d be making it about me. I’d be doing what a politician would do, and that’s not who I am.”
Mungo Flanigan was one of two council members drawn out of their districts in the final map approved by the Redistricting Commission last month. The other, 2nd District Councilwoman Cindy Allen, has not ruled out running against another incumbent Councilwoman Mary Zendejas for the 1st District seat next year so she doesn’t have to move.
Two potential replacements announced their candidacy for the 5th District this week. Former Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission Rich Dines, who also ran for the seat in 2018, and current LBUSD Board of Education member Megan Kerr announced their intention to run for the now-open seat.
In her statement, Mungo Flanigan pledged to continue working hard for the district until her final day in office next December, when the new 5th District representative will be sworn into office.
“I want to thank my constituents for their patience, involvement and support these past two terms,” Mungo Flanigan said. “Whether they voted for me or not, I tried to represent everyone with fairness and respect. I want to thank my colleagues for all their hard work on behalf of the community and their friendship and support over the years as well.”
Long Beach 5th District City Council race hits reset button, has 2 new candidates