Mike Judge After making a strong showing in the 2008 City Council election, Simi native and LAPD Officer Mike Judge has decided to give it another go.

Judge, 46, filed his intent-torun paperwork with the city clerk on Feb. 18. Like last time, he’s hoping to fill one of two council seats that are up for grabs.

The 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department said he’s running for much the same reason as before—he feels the city needs new, more effective leadership.

“I still think things can be run better in Simi, and I’m kind of upset about the adversarial relationship that’s developed between the city and the police department since the last election.”

Judge said it’s unfair the way the police union was “singled out” during the last contract negotiations to take larger cutbacks than any other city employee group. He believes not all avenues were explored.

He said he’s concerned not just because he’s an officer but because he’s a Simi resident. He said he lives in Simi because of its track record as one of the safest cities and that he wants to keep it that way.

In addition, Judge is in favor of term limits for the council and wants to “shake things up.”

Though the official nomination period doesn’t begin until July 12, Judge said he wanted to file his paperwork early so he can start raising money. He felt his lack of funding was one of the primary reasons he didn’t win the last election, saying it takes money to get your name out in the public.

“There’s some people who are interested in helping me do that, so I think I’ll put up a little bit better show this time,” he said.

Judge performed the best among the challengers to the two incumbents in 2008, finishing third out of seven candidates with 10,128 votes. But it wasn’t enough to beat Steve Sojka’s 21,045 votes or Barbra Williamson’s 17,074.

This year’s race is for the council seats of Michelle Foster and Glen Becerra as well as for the mayoral post. Council members serve four-year terms and the mayor is elected for two years.

Becerra filed his intent to run for a fourth term in September; Foster filed last week. Newcomer Mitch Green, who works as an assistant city attorney for the city, filed a candidacy statement in October.

The municipal election is Nov. 4.