By Jason Islas and Jorge Casuso
Staff Writer

August 17, 2012-- Seventeen candidates returned nominating petitions for Santa Monica City Council by Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. deadline, with Santa Monica Planning Commissioner Richard McKinnon the last to file at 5:25 p.m.

McKinnon said that he was out of the country and cut his business trip short after he realized that the paperwork he had sent in the mail would not arrive to the City Clerk on time.

“This is an election about the future of Santa Monica,” said McKinnon, from City Hall moments after filing his papers.

Twelve of the 17 candidates who pulled papers have already qualified for the ballot after gathering the signatures of at least 100 registered Santa Monica voters.

Incumbents Gleam Davis and Terry O'Day both have qualified in he race for four council seats, as have former council member Tony Vazquez, Planning Commissioner Ted Winterer and former Lookout columnist Frank Gruber.

Also qualifying for the ballot were school activist Shari Davis, Northeast Neighbors co-founder Robert Seldon, community activist Jerry Rubin, who is making his fifth council bid, and Jonathan Mann, who is extending his record to 11 council races.

Terence Later, who ran in 2008 and 2010, and newcomers John Cyrus Smith, a television producer, and Steve Duron, an attorney, also have qualified for the ballot.

Linda Armstrong, who is making her fifth council bid, and newcomers Michael Shaver, Roberto Gomez and Armen Melkonians all submitted papers by Wednesday's deadline.

Like McKinnon, they are awaiting verification from the LA County Registrar's office.

The November 6 council race has drawn an unusually strong pool of candidates after it became clear that Mayor Richard Bloom and Council member Bobby Shriver would not seek re-election, marking the first time in a quarter century that two incumbent's seats are up for grabs.

Bloom is running for State Representative and Shriver is exploring a run for LA County supervisor.