He was elected to Bergen city council in 1964, became deputy mayor in 1976 and mayor in 1984. He was Bergen"s first Christian Democratic mayor. He served as mayor from 1984 to 1985 and 1988 to 1989.
In Motorførernes Avholdsforbund he was a board member from 1956 to 1968 and chaired the central committee from 1976 to 1980.
Næss died in December 2009.
Næss was a board member of the Bergen International Festival, the Bergenshalvøens Kommunale Kraftselskap, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, and the company that regulates the Askøy Bridge.
