Inglewood Voters Soundly Defeat Raise for Mayor

In a major defeat for Mayor Edward Vincent’s political organization, Inglewood voters this week overwhelmingly defeated a measure that would have made the mayor’s job a full-time position and given him more than a fourfold pay raise.

In two City Council races, two school board races and the city treasurer’s contest, no candidate got enough votes to avoid a runoff June 16.

Proposition 1, which would have increased the mayor’s salary from $10,800 a year to $49,621, was resoundingly defeated, 4,273 (62.7%) votes to 2,547 (37.3%).

Vincent won reelection with 80% of the vote only last November. He campaigned for the raise on the grounds that although the mayor’s job is a part-time post under the City Charter, performing his duties was a full-time commitment and had forced him to take a leave of absence as a county probation officer.

Vincent did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment. Before the election, he said if the proposition was defeated, he would have to return to his probation department job, which would leave him less time to spend on city business.

One leader of the No on Proposition 1 Committee, Bert Whitfield, said the voters of Inglewood have become “tired of Vincent’s deceptions.”

“The people have awakened to what the mayor is attempting to do to this city,” Whitfield said, “which is dupe the people for his own self-serving interests.”

Others Fare Better

Vincent fared somewhat better in the city and school board races. Of the five candidates endorsed by his political organization, the Inglewood Democratic Club, three finished in first place, although short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. One Vincent-endorsed candidate finished second to make the runoff, and one finished third.

Incumbent Councilman Bruce U. Smith, endorsed by Vincent, was held to 702 votes or 45.2% in the 3rd District council and will face Ann Wilk, a former school board member who received 462 votes or 29.7%, in the general election. Claude Lataillade, a newcomer to Inglewood politics, finished with 391 votes for 25.1%.

Smith, who is seeking a third term, said he may have been hurt by his refusal to take a public position on Proposition 1.

“It’s disappointing to be in a runoff, but that’s the way it goes in politics sometimes, “ Smith said. He said he had been against the proposition all along but did not say so because he “didn’t want to influence the voters.”

His opponent in the general election, Wilk, who opposed Proposition 1, was hampered in the primary campaign by a leg injury that limited her ability to canvass the district. She has accused Smith of having lost his independence on the board. She said the people are beginning to tire of the political establishment of the city.

“The community spoke (Tuesday) and the people are beginning to realize (with Proposition 1) what has been going on in the city,” Wilk said. “The machine had a few cogs knocked out of it.”

Garland Hardeman and Ervin (Tony) Thomas advanced to the general election in the 4th District council contest to replace Virgle Benson, who did not run for reelction. Hardeman had the highest percentage total of any candidate, getting 48.2% or 533 votes. Thomas, who was endorsed by Vincent, received 327 votes or 29.6%. William E. Jenkins, who finished a distant second to Benson in 1982, captured 180 votes or 16.3% while Joseph Young, a bookstore manager, finished with 65 votes or 5.9%.

Hardeman, a Los Angeles policeman who ran on an anti-drug platform, was over the 50% total needed to avoid a runoff during most of the vote-counting Tuesday night, but fell under that figure as the final precincts and absentee ballots were tallied.

“The people have indicated they want independent, quality leadership on the council,” Hardeman said. “The people are no longer impressed by candidates backed by certain political machines.”

Thomas Faces Hardeman

Thomas, who was backed by Vincent and will face Hardeman in the runoff, said that being the only one in his race in favor of Proposition 1 hurt his campaign but he doesn’t think it will hinder his chances in June.

“It’s going to come down to the grass roots, with the community determining who can do what for them,” Thomas said.

Hardeman said it is time for Thomas to “stand on his own, because I’m not running against Ed Vincent.”

Votes were scattered among the large fields of candidates in both school board races. Although the candidates run for specific seats, they are elected at large.

Incumbent William Dorn, a leader of the Democratic club, took 3,026 votes or 43.9% in the Seat 5 race and will face Zyra McCloud in the runoff. McCloud, president of the Inglewood Council of PTAs, polled 1,126 votes or 16.3%, edging Dexter A. Henderson, who finished with 929 or 13.4%. Three other candidates, Gloria A. Grattan, William (Bill) Gill and James Wilson trailed further behind.

Draper Leads Five

The other incumbent up for reelection, William (Tony) Draper in Seat 4, led a field of five candidates, receiving 2,477 votes or 35.8%. He will face Lois Hill Hale, a deputy to state Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), in the runoff. Hill Hale received 1,988 votes or 28.7%, to edge Vincent-backed candidate Loystene L. Irvin, who took 1,801 votes or 26.0%, for second place. Clarence E. Jones received 387 votes or 5.6% and Don L. Fields, who dropped out of the race last month but whose name remained on the ballot, took 266 votes or 3.8%.

Dorn was the most bitterly attacked candidate in either race, as the school board incumbent was charged by opponents with failing to live in the district and with excessive absenteeism at board meetings, charges that Dorn denied.

He had also been at the center of the controversy over the 10% pay increase given to Inglewood teachers last month. Dorn, with the backing of his board allies, Caroline Coleman and Ernest Shaw, introduced the motion calling for the pay increase at the March 9 board meeting without informing the other two board members or the administration of his plan.

Dorn was unavailable for comment on the election.

McCloud, a longtime Dorn foe, was physically ejected from a school board meeting by order of then-president Dorn in 1985. McCloud has a lawsuit pending against the school district over the incident. She said she is not worried about the huge lead Dorn piled up in the primary, saying it was caused by “uninformed people” using the Democratic Club’s slate mailer.

Last-Minute Decision

“Our goal is to now defeat the political machine which has been holding the district captive and using it for its own personal agendas,” McCloud said. “I think the people who voted for me and the other candidates (running against Dorn) are going to come out again (in June).”

Draper, who was the loser in the Vincent landslide in November, decided to run for reelection to the school board only shortly before the filing deadline in January, after originally announcing he would not.

Draper said the overriding factor in the election was Proposition 1, which he had strongly opposed. “The difference between November (when Vincent received 80% of the vote in the mayoral contest against Draper) and now is that we are talking about people’s money,” Draper said. “He was asking that they support him with their tax bills.”

He said he expects to campaign harder during the general election than he did in the primary.

Hill Hale had originally decided to run for Draper’s seat to oppose Vincent’s candidate. That candidate was originally Fields until he dropped out. Vincent then endorsed Irvin. Hill Hale said the electorate had sent a message of displeasure to both Vincent and Draper.

Runoff Almost Avoided

Wanda M. Brown had the best showing among Vincent-backed candidates, narrowly missing in her attempt to oust City Treasurer H. Stanley Jones without a runoff, polling 48.1% of the vote to Jones’ 44.3%. Pamela S. Fisher finished a distant third with 7.7%.

Jones said he is not worried by his second-place finish and is looking forward to the June election. He said that he doubted Proposition 1, which he opposed, had played a significant part in the treasurer’s race.

Brown, who backed Proposition 1 and had Vincent’s endorsement, said she was suprised that she had not won the election outright. She said she did not think the proposition had damaged her campaign.

“I was suprised to learn the proposition didn’t do as well as we thought it would,” Brown said. “The input I had gotten from talking to people was that it was going to pass.”

The treasurer oversees the raising and investing of the city’s revenue.

Turnout Called High

City Clerk Hermanita Harris said the voter turnout of 17.1% was extremely high for an Inglewood city election not being held in conjunction with state or national elections.

The mood was glum at Proposition 1 campaign headquarters after the results were announced. It sank even lower when the winner of a campaign workers’ contest was announced. The contest was to pick the “winning” percentage for Proposition 1.

The most pessimistic guess among the workers had been that the proposition would take 45% of the vote--eight points higher than the actual outcome. That guess won the pool.