Oxnard City Councilman John Zaragoza is the first person to state definitively that he's going to run for 5th District county supervisor in 2008.

Zaragoza announced his candidacy in a prepared statement he released Thursday night.

It will be his second try at the seat that's been held for 30 years by Supervisor John Flynn. The district covers most of the city of Oxnard and the surrounding unincorporated areas.

In 2004, Zaragoza finished third, narrowly missing a spot in the November runoff.

Flynn has said he plans to run again but is putting off his final decision until after he recovers from a recent knee surgery.

Former Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez, who lost to Flynn in the 2004 runoff, said Friday that he won't run again.

Zaragoza, 65, is in the midst of his third term on the City Council. He was Oxnard's director of solid waste until he retired in 1993, and he now owns real-estate and tax-preparation firms. He's a registered Democrat and has lived in north Oxnard for the past 25 years.

Zaragoza said he wants to heal the "tension and dissension" on the Board of Supervisors, referring to Flynn's feuds with other supervisors and some high-level county employees.

"There's a perception that our current supervisor is not able to work cooperatively with the other supervisors and the staff," Zaragoza said. "I believe I've been a leader who can bring people together."

Despite the implied criticism, Zaragoza said his campaign against Flynn won't be personal or malicious.

"John (Flynn) has done a good job in his career," he said. "He's done his part, and I think I can do my part."

Flynn had kind words for Zaragoza, too, calling him "a credible candidate."

Zaragoza said one of his top priorities as a supervisor would be to speed up the revitalization of Channel Islands Harbor.

Flynn is at odds with the board's majority over its plans to improve the county-owned harbor, and he's the only supervisor who doesn't usually support the Harbor Department's director.

Zaragoza said his biggest accomplishments as a councilman include helping the city add jobs and lower its crime rate, and lobbying against the threatened closure of Naval Base Ventura County.

Zaragoza hasn't filed any paperwork yet to officially launch his run.

Under the county's campaign finance rules, he isn't allowed to begin raising money until June 3, one year before the election.

Zaragoza said he plans to abide by the county's voluntary spending limit, which will be $173,000 for next year's supervisors' races. Obeying the limit allows him to raise more money from each individual donor.