Pat Russell: No Politics These Days : Election: The former city councilwoman will vote in the 6th District race--by absentee ballot. She is enjoying her life after City Hall.

Don’t expect to run into former 6th District Los Angeles City Councilwoman Pat Russell at the polls on Tuesday.

She might be spotted running to the beach or to the market, tending her garden or climbing a mountain, but the ritualistic, handshaking trip to the polling place on Election Day is a thing of the past for her.

Oh, she’ll be voting in Tuesday’s primary--but this time by absentee ballot. She’s also willing to reveal that her support is going to former aide Tavis Smiley, who, along with five other challengers, is hoping to unseat incumbent Ruth Galanter. But other than that, Russell has put politics behind her.

It was Galanter, at the time a relatively unknown community activist, who four years ago trounced then-council President Russell, sending her into semi-retirement after 18 years in office. Now, Galanter finds herself the target of attacks over continuing development in the 6th District--the same issue she and other foes used to sink Russell.

But if Russell finds irony in the heat that her successor is taking, she is keeping it to herself.

Russell also passed on the chance to critique Galanter’s first term, saying she would leave that assessment to the voters.

And if she has suffered from being away from the limelight, it does not show during a leisurely chat at her Westchester home. Rather, she appears gleeful and serene about life after politics. “It’s nice to be alive,” she says simply.

Russell chuckles appreciatively at the small pleasure of being able to vote absentee, ignoring the newspaper if she feels like it, spending time with friends and family (she has three grown children and three grandchildren), and reading longer, more complicated books. Now that she no longer is living politics night and day, she can sit back and read about political philosophy. Her current book of choice: “The Democratic Wish,” by James A. Morone.

Asked if she attends fund-raisers or other political events, she responds as though the mere thought is painful. “I so enjoy missing that,” Russell says.

Nor does she long for her old City Hall life. “I did it totally,” she says. “I felt good about it. It’s enough, already.”

The 67-year-old Russell, who was a Westchester homemaker when she entered the political arena, says she enjoyed the perks of power but always understood that they were ephemeral.

But she concedes, with a small smile, that when she does have occasion to contact some of her former political allies, her calls are returned.

Russell has not entirely set aside her interest in public affairs. She says she has been following the furor sparked by the beating of Rodney G. King by Los Angeles police and the subsequent calls for the resignation of Police Chief Daryl F. Gates.

While emphasizing her respect for Gates, Russell adds that she has been startled by the apparent surprise expressed by some over police violence toward a suspect. She says such violence was a concern she constantly raised while serving on the council.

During those years, Russell says, she would often stop when she witnessed an arrest in the Westchester area to see how the officers treated the suspect. It is another of those habits from the past that have no place in her new life.

After leaving office, she organized the Regional Institute of Southern California, a public-private partnership that explores local problems. A recently published 100-page study by the group is called “Transportation Efficiency: Tackling Southern California’s Air Pollution and Congestion.”

Russell says she works about half-time as the institute’s head. Much of the rest of her time is spent outdoors. She runs about 25 miles a week to stay in condition for her real avocations: hiking and mountain climbing. At least two or three times a month, she goes on a strenuous trek in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Last weekend, as those running for her old council seat pressed the flesh, raised money and planned last-minute campaign strategies, Russell was in the Salton Sea area with her husband, from whom she lives separately, on a 16-mile, 6,500-foot climb. She skied at Aspen earlier this year, and traveled to Egypt last fall.

Much of the rest of her time is spent gardening. Russell’s entire back yard is given over to her garden of flowers, herbs and vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. She has above-ground level, French-style plant beds with a drip irrigation system and her own compost heap. She is especially proud of a small fountain and fish pond she built, using bricks, shells and driftwood, the latter gathered on a Mother’s Day picnic 30 years ago.

Although reticent about discussing politics, she is willing to pass along some advice. “Save time for retirement so you can relish it,” she says.