Jurist Orders New Election for Inglewood Council Seat

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Friday threw out as illegal 58 absentee ballots cast in an Inglewood City Council election decided by 16 votes, but denied a motion to declare a new winner in the contest.

Judge Leon Savitch, who in September annulled the June election of Councilman Ervin (Tony) Thomas, Friday ordered Thomas to face challenger Garland Hardeman in a new runoff. Inglewood city officials will set the date of the election.

Hardeman, a Los Angeles police officer, received 70% of the votes cast at the polls in June, but Thomas apparently won the election with 395 absentee votes.

Hardeman then filed suit alleging that Thomas and his supporters, including Inglewood Mayor Edward Vincent, violated election laws by, among other things, intimidating voters and compromising their right to secrecy.

Witnesses testified during a six-day trial on the suit that Vincent and other Thomas workers pressured them to cast absentee ballots, punched absentee ballots for them and told them to sign the ballots of family members. Evidence also showed that non-residents cast absentee ballots using the addresses of Thomas campaign headquarters and boarded-up buildings.

Robert Stroud, Thomas’ lawyer, said he would appeal Savitch’s decision.

Although the judge overturned Thomas’ victory in his Sept. 26 preliminary ruling--stating then that at least 16 votes for Thomas were illegal--he rejected a motion Friday to declare Hardeman the winner.

“I’m pleased that he agreed with our overall case,” said Mark Borenstein, Hardeman’s lawyer. “We have a fundamental disagreement on the remedy. It appears that he feels that the fair thing to do is have a new election.”

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is investigating the election.

After the Savitch made his ruling Friday, Inglewood City Atty. Howard Rosten asked him to settle a “terrific amount of controversy” in Inglewood by declaring that there was no “massive criminal conduct” in the election.

But the judge refused the request.

Over Hardeman’s objections, Thomas has served on the council while the election has been contested.