Gilmartin Kept Surgery Secret From Voters

Former Democratic congressional nominee James H. Gilmartin secretly underwent open-heart surgery in the midst of his campaign and did not disclose it to voters because “people don’t like to elect sick people,” he said.

Gilmartin, who lost last month to Republican Howard P. (Buck) McKeon in the 25th Congressional District, said that although he resumed making campaign appearances 11 days after the Aug. 28 quadruple-bypass operation, he was in “a great deal of pain” and his physical mobility was badly impaired for a month afterward.

“I covered up pretty well. . . .We didn’t tell anybody,” said Gilmartin, a Santa Clarita lawyer.

Gilmartin, 59, said he had to be driven to campaign functions by his wife or campaign manager after undergoing the seven-hour bypass procedure and was unable to stand without their help at times.

He was on pain medication through the Nov. 3 election, he said, and was unable to walk precincts until the final days of the campaign, and then only on a limited basis.

Gilmartin said he did not publicly announce his surgery because he believed McKeon would use it against him, questioning his ability to serve in Congress. Gilmartin spontaneously revealed his operation last week during a conversation with a Times reporter on another topic.

McKeon, a Santa Clarita Western-wear retailer, beat Gilmartin by a 52%-33% margin in the vast 25th District, which covers northern portions of the San Fernando Valley and all of the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

A third candidate, Palmdale screenwriter Rick Pamplin, who ran as a Ross Perot supporter, took 6.5%.

McKeon’s former campaign manager, Armando Azarloza, denied that McKeon would have used Gilmartin’s health problem as a political cudgel.

“I think that’s below the belt,” Azarloza said.

He and Pamplin both criticized Gilmartin for not revealing his surgery when it occurred.

“Voters have a right to know the health of the candidate, the person who’s going to represent them in Congress,” said Azarloza.

“He should have come clean with everybody. He should have told the truth and let the voters decide,” Pamplin said.

Their criticisms were echoed by Andy Martin, a member of the state and Los Angeles County Democratic central committees who lives in the 25th District.

“It’s beyond belief that he didn’t mention it,” Martin said. “It could alter your decision whether to vote for him.”

Azarloza said that after seeing Gilmartin at a public forum early in the campaign, he expected the Democrat to be an aggressive, articulate opponent for McKeon. He said he was surprised by what he said was Gilmartin’s lack of energy in the weeks before Election Day.

“It seemed like he was running a half-campaign,” Azarloza said. “Obviously, now that makes a lot of sense.”

Pamplin, too, criticized Gilmartin for not mounting a more aggressive campaign against McKeon, saying he gave the GOP nominee a “free ride.”

“He really hurt his party . . . in this district,” Pamplin said.

Gilmartin, who said he may run for Congress again, denied that his decision not to disclose the surgery was deceptive, saying he was in better health afterward and saw no reason to discuss the operation.

“There was nothing deceptive because there was no alternative for the Democrats,” he said. “I’m in better shape now than when I went into the race.

“I wasn’t handicapped in the slightest. It may have slowed me down a little, but in the old movie tradition, the John Wayne tradition, you’d call that ‘true grit,’ ” he said.

Gilmartin said that after the election he informed members of the North Valley Democratic Club of the operation and most people told him it was “thoughtful that I continued the race, considering my condition. In fact, they gave me standing applause.”

He said he underwent the operation after injuring a shoulder in a minor driving accident. When he went to UCLA Medical Center complaining of persistent pain, an examination revealed a severe blockage in his right coronary artery, he said. His doctors recommended immediate surgery.

Gilmartin acknowledged that he returned to the campaign trail in a weakened state, which reduced his ability to campaign.

“After you’ve had that surgery, it’s extremely hard--between the pain-killers they give you--to really push. . . .It took some energy out of me,” he said.

“I was paralyzed between Aug. 26 and Sept. 26. . . .My campaign manager and my wife would drive me everywhere, park the car as close as we could get and try and sneak into the place without anyone noticing I couldn’t walk.”

On the day he underwent the bypass, Gilmartin was to ride in a convertible in a parade at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, he said. Instead, his daughter and his campaign manager, Bob Funk, rode in the car, with Funk waving to the crowd.

“No one noticed the difference,” said Gilmartin.

He said he frequently had to interrupt his daily campaign schedule to return home and take more pain medication. During a debate in Lancaster, an incision in Gilmartin’s leg--related to his heart surgery--began bleeding, he said.

Gilmartin insisted at one point during an interview that he “didn’t miss a single campaign appearance,” but also cited his absences at the Antelope Valley Fair and a parade in Santa Clarita in September.