Long Beach Mayoral Race Costliest in City History

The race for mayor has become so expensive that the top three candidates have collected contributions equal to $1.60 for every resident of the city.

And with the election still more than a week away, the end of the spending spree is not in sight.

Mayor Ernie Kell, Councilwoman Jan Hall and public relations executive Luanne Pryor had raised $641,651 combined through March 26, according to campaign spending reports filed last week with the city clerk’s office. There are about 393,000 people in the city.

If any candidate fails to muster better than a 50% margin in the April 12 election, the spending war will erupt anew for a June runoff.

“It’s too much in terms of what a city our size should . . . do in electing its officials,” said City Auditor Robert Fronke, an advocate of campaign spending reform who is neutral in the mayor’s race.

Powered by a lavish fund-raiser under the Spruce Goose dome, Kell reported raising $90,315 in the last month. The latest figures boost Kell’s total to $332,454, according to the campaign finance reports.

Still, Kell remains just short of his stated expectation of raising and spending $400,000 in a bold attempt to win a four-year term without facing a runoff.

Hall reported adding $92,982 to her campaign chest during the period, including $27,500 in loans. With a new total of $264,625, Hall has put herself within the range of her fund-raising goals.

$10,000 Loan

Hall held a glittering $250-a-plate dinner March 1 in which she was honored by Gov. George Deukmejian, Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) and a dance band that sang “Jan Hall” to the tune of “Mame.”

Even Pryor, fighting an upstart campaign for mayor despite little name recognition and lack of experience in electoral politics, reported raising $23,934. That included a $10,000 loan from her largest contributor. The receipts for the period more than doubled Pryor’s total contributions to $44,572, her report shows.

Campaign contributions to the other six mayoral candidates were much smaller.

The only one of them to detail his expenses was engineering manager E. W. (Bud) Huber, who reported raising and spending $64 during the period. He has loaned himself $3,201 in his entirely self-financed bid for the city’s highest elective office.

As the mayor’s race entered its crucial final stretch, Kell remained firmly in top position for a last-minute spending blitz. Unlike Hall or Pryor, Kell’s cash on hand surpassed his debt--$55,675 to $17,710.

By comparison, Hall had $29,119 on hand against a debt of $41,709, and Pryor had reserves of $8,357 and a debt of $20,933.

On the spending side, Kell shelled out $107,594 for the period. His total spending so far in the race was $279,166. His biggest expense during the period was $70,934 paid to his Sacramento-based campaign firm, Directions.

Hall spent $73,904 during the period for a total of $218,377 since the race began. A direct-mail firm received the largest chunk, some $30,000.

Pryor spent $17,579 during the period, for total spending of $34,453.

Total collections in the mayor’s race are already 2 1/2 times as high as in the previous most expensive race in city history--the 1986 contest between Hall and dentist Jim Serles for the 3rd District council seat, in which each spent about $125,000.

Hall said the costs are realistic considering the size of the city and the nature of the race. She noted that printing and mailing a single piece of literature to each of the city’s voters can cost between $30,000 and $40,000.

She hastened to add: “We all know that (the price of) postage is going up next week.”

Pryor said she is braced for a last-minute spending spree by her two chief opponents, but doubted that it will have much effect on voters. “I know there’s going to be a mail blitz, but that doesn’t always work in their favor,” she said.

Kell downplayed the latest report on his hefty contributions. “We’re about where we expected to be” in overall fund raising, he said.

Kell accepted contributions from three of the five members of the Harbor Commission during the period. Hall has charged that Kell rewards big campaign contributors with appointments to city boards and commissions.

Kell’s contributions included $1,000 from Harbor Commission President David L. Hauser, $125 from Harbor Commissioner Louise M. DuVall and a $175 in-kind donation for the use of a refrigerator and microwave oven from Harbor Commissioner George Talin.

Other Kell donations included B.C.E. Development, $1,250; Robert K. Davis, owner of Davis Investment Co., $2,500; the Downtown Long Beach Associates Political Action Committee, $2,500; financial planner Linda A. Dyer, $1,250; F.H.P. Inc., $2,500; Gagnon Construction Co., $2,500; Paragon Equities President Elaine Hutchison, $1,276; International Transportation Service, $2,500, and the International Union of Operating Engineers, $1,250.

Other Kell contributors included Keesal, Young & Logan, $1,250; developer Robert J. Kendrick, $1,500; the Long Beach Police Officers Assn., $1,500; New West REI Corp., $1,250; Fuel Controls Inc. owner Harold Reed, $1,250; Spongberg, Kirkland and Associates, Inc., $2,500; United Auto Workers Region 6, $1,250; and Wrather Port Properties, $2,500.

Hall reported receiving loans of $20,000 from insurance broker and carpet store owner Dennis Pollman, $2,500 from the Alliance for Representative Government and $5,000 from the Friends of Dennis Brown political committee. Brown is a Republican Assemblyman from Long Beach.

Her contributors included Arco, $2,500; Carlton Brown Co. president Dick Brown, $2,500; First Savings & Loan Assn., $2,500; Union Paving president Tim Hickman, $2,500; Union Paving, $1,250; General Steamship Corp. president G. Scott Jones, $2,000; developer William Lansdale, $2,500; Long Beach Savings & Loan Assn., $2,500; Southern California Caucus political action committee, $2,000; Spongberg, Kirkland and Associates, $2,500; banker Gus Walker, $2,500; and the Winsford Corp., $2,500.

Pryor reported receiving a $10,000 loan from poultry company president Tracey R. Claus and his wife, Jane, who had previously contributed $5,000.

Her contributors during the period included the “Women For” political organization, $1,000; Villa Park Mobile Home Assn., $1,000, and Jack and Barbara Dunster, $1,100.