3 Incumbents in Lawndale Win; Voters Reject Prop. A

Although the reelection of three incumbents in Lawndale indicates a strong measure of support for the City Council, the vote on two ballot measures shows that the council will have to cope with a powerful opposition camp in the coming months.

One of the council’s pet projects, a $5-million renovation of the civic center designated as Proposition A, was rejected 984 to 919.

And Proposition B, which some council members opposed, was approved by a 3-to-1 margin. It will require voter approval for city projects costing more than $1 million. The vote in favor was 1,442 to 454.

Council supporters said the outcome on the ballot measures simply shows that Lawndale voters are leery of major municipal expenditures, but opponents contend that the vote indicates a lack of confidence in the council.

Mayor Sarann Kruse, who faced three challengers including fellow council member Larry Rudolph, won reelection to her fourth term as mayor Tuesday. There are five members on the council, one of whom is the mayor. Three council seats and the mayor’s were on the ballot in this election.

Harold E. Hofmann, the top vote-getter among 12 candidates for the council, was reelected to a four-year term with 931 votes. Dan M. McKenzie, a member of the council since 1984, won a two-year seat. Planning Commissioner Carol Norman unseated Councilman Terry W. Birdsall for a four-year seat.

The turnout was higher than expected, with 23.1% of the city’s 8,913 voters going to the polls.

Kruse, accepting hugs from her supporters on Tuesday night, said: “I hope now we can get down to business, and get Lawndale out of the newspapers and into a more positive light.”

She was referring to a series of difficulties that have rocked Lawndale in the past year, including the loss of about $1.68 million in a speculative securities investment, and the uncovering of Planning Department errors that resulted in permits being issued for buildings that do not meet city codes.

It may not be so easy for the council to reestablish control.

Will Remain Active

Unsuccessful candidates Nancy J. Marthens, Virginia Rhodes and Herman Weinstein celebrated the defeat of Proposition A and said they would remain active in city affairs.

They had criticized the measure as a “blank check” that would have allowed the council to erect “a Taj Mahal” in Lawndale.

The three, who conducted the petition drive that put Proposition B on the ballot, also said they were elated at the overwhelming approval of the initiative and see it as a tool to keep any grand plans of the council in check.

“I was in it for A and B, and anything else would have been gravy,” Weinstein said.

It is puzzling, he added, that voters split their tickets to reject the civic center, but still elect candidates who favored it, Kruse, Hofmann, Norman and McKenzie.

Marthens had no ready explanation either, but said she believes the vote on the ballot measures shows the public mistrusts the council with major planning and financial decisions.

Voters are especially concerned, she said, because of the city’s loss of $1.68 million or more, representing at least half of the city’s general fund reserve.

Several defeated candidates said that campaign spending was a major factor in the election, with big spenders including Kruse and Norman winning council seats. “We’ve got the best candidates money can buy,” Marthens said tartly in a late-night interview on Tuesday.

Kruse was the biggest spender, according to the final pre-election campaign financial reports filed at City Hall on March 26, with $7,752 in expenses and $8,509 in contributions. Norman reported $3,826 in expenditures and $6,512 in contributions.

Tina Zarro had the third highest expenses ($3,481) and contributions ($4,070), but lost in the race for a two-year term to McKenzie, who reported $2,466 in expenses and $2,466 in contributions.

Hofmann reported $1,189 each in expenses and gifts.

Marthens, Weinstein and Rhodes said they each spent less than $1,000 on their campaigns.

Rudolph, who opposed Kruse for mayor, said he hopes the city will calm down now that the election is over. But he said that he believes he offended Kruse by running against her, and he fears that relationships on the council may be strained in the remaining two years of his term.

Kruse said at the beginning of the campaign she was surprised that Rudolph ran against her. “I thought we had a good working relationship,” she said.

Kruse “hasn’t spoken to me since the day I announced I was running against her,” said Rudolph on election night. “I expect I may have a very hard time for the next two years. But I plan to just sit up there and do what’s right.”

Rudolph said a majority in the city oppose Kruse, but that he and Marthens split that vote and so Kruse won. According to returns from all 10 precincts on Tuesday night, Kruse had 763 votes, Rudolph, 655; Marthens, 434, and aerospace worker Ronald Maxwell, 159.

Marthens and Weinstein said they plan to continue their regular presence as council watchdogs, and they said the election has shown they have many supporters.

“We have our foothold there at the podium, and we will still be there asking questions and expressing concerns,” Marthens said.