Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has another challenger.

Wayne Gottlieb, a tax preparer and accountant who has been doing business in the Coachella Valley for more than 25 years, qualified as a write-in candidate today.

Gottlieb said he was “playing with the idea” of running, but committed to the race after a couple of clients suggested he run.

“I might not know how to be a celebrity, but I do know how to balance a ledger,” Gottlieb says on his campaign website. “Numbers are my game. Knowing budgets, taxes and financial statements are important factors for our economy in this day and age. I will get things done by knowing how much money we have.”

Gottlieb told The Desert Sun that he’s supportive of Measure J – a proposed increase of the city’s sales tax – but thinks there needs to be a plan on how to spend the money.

 “Everybody else is just afraid to make recommendations,” Gottlieb said. “I’m really upset over this oversight committee. I think it’s just another layer of people who are going to take too much time making decisions.

This is Gottlieb’s first time running for office. He is the first write-in to qualify for the Palm Springs mayoral race. As a write-in, his name won’t appear on the Nov. 8 ballot and it’s likely he won’t be included in most of the local candidate forums.

Six other candidates are also challenging Pougnet, who was elected to the seat in 2007.