Local Elections : Year of Turmoil Fuels Campaign Fire in Lawndale Mayor, Council Races

The Lawndale City Council election April 12 has generated an intense campaign, with all five council members running and seven challengers blaming the incumbents for a number of crises that have shaken this small, blue-collar community in the past year.

In recent months, Lawndale residents have been stunned by the city’s loss of $1.68 million in a speculative securities investment and the subsequent firing of the city treasurer; the resignations of the embattled city manager and planning director, and the discovery of Planning Department irregularities which permitted the construction of buildings that do not comply with city laws.

In addition, the council’s plan for a $5-million remodeling of the civic center was so controversial it prompted several lawsuits and a related petition drive. The council’s civic center expansion plan appears on the ballot as Proposition A, and an initiative requiring voter approval for public projects costing more than $1 million is designated Proposition B.

Also to be resolved in this election is an anomaly in which four openings on the council are occurring at once--three council seats and the mayor’s.

Staggered Terms

So that only three openings will occur in future elections, one of the council terms this year has been designated a two-year term. In the 1990 election, two council members and the mayor will be up for reelection. Council members serve four-year terms and the mayor a two-year term.

This year, three council members and the mayor are seeking reelection, and another councilman with two years left in his term is running for mayor. Thus all five council members are running against seven challengers for four seats. The jobs entail attending two council meetings a month for a monthly salary of $150.

The candidates will debate at 7 p.m. today in the Civic Center. Council hopefuls are expected to present their views on such issues as the future of the civic center, consistency of planning and development guidelines, and how to deal with the city’s traffic and parking problems.

This has been one of the most traumatic years in the city’s history, said Mayor Sarann Kruse, 48, an aerospace executive assistant who is seeking reelection for a fourth term as mayor. She has lived in Lawndale 17 1/2 years and was first elected to the council in 1976.

“In my 12 years on the council, I don’t remember any year standing out as much as 1987,” she said, citing the city’s investment loss, staff turnover and Planning Department problems. “Hopefully, 1988 is going to be better.”

In defending the council’s track record, Kruse said the city hopes to recover its investment loss through a lawsuit against the brokerage companies that handled the disastrous transactions for Lawndale and several other cities.

Moving to Remedy Problems

The city is moving as quickly as possible to remedy Planning Department problems and has hired a new planning director and treasurer, she said. The city manager’s job will be filled soon, she said.

Kruse and the other incumbents are banking on their experience on the council to win votes. However, they are not running as a team. In fact, Councilman Larry Rudolph is opposing Kruse in the mayor’s race.

Rudolph, 50 and a lifelong resident of Lawndale, works in production control. He is the only incumbent who is absolutely sure of a council seat after April 12. He is running for mayor after serving two years of his four-year council term. Even if he loses the mayor’s race, he keeps his council seat. If elected mayor, his remaining two years would be filled by council appointment or by an election. He would favor an election, he said.

Among the four candidates for mayor is one of the council’s most outspoken opponents, Nancy J. Marthens, 44, a business data analyst who says the election could put a new cast of characters on the council. “People are tired of scandal,” she said. Marthens has lived in Lawndale 17 years.

Also running for mayor is Ronald Maxwell, 25, an aerospace production scheduler who is president of the Lawndale Jaycees. He has lived in Lawndale for six years. He said he believes the council needs new leadership. “Perhaps they are too old, stagnant and ineffective to do the job,” he said.

Five candidates are running for the two four-year terms: incumbent Terry W. Birdsall, 48, an aerospace company program administrator who was elected to the council in 1982; incumbent Harold E. Hofmann, 55, a sewer contractor and lifelong resident elected to the council in 1980; Planning Commissioner Carol Norman, 56, a municipal housing administrator; office manager Virginia Rhodes, 52, and paralegal Ralph C. Williams, 51, a 12-year resident.

Running for the two-year term are incumbent Dan M. McKenzie, 72, who was elected to the council in 1984; Herman Weinstein, 65, a flight engineer and real estate agent, and homemaker Tina Zarro, 30. McKenzie is a 40-year resident; Weinstein has lived in Lawndale since 1949 and helped in the city’s incorporation in 1959, and Zarro is a 10-year resident.

In this no-holds-barred campaign, candidates have leveled numerous charges against each other:

Kruse has been accused by her opponents of favoring developers who contribute to her well-financed campaign, a charge she denies. “I only have one vote on that council, and I don’t think my voting in that area (development) is that different from that of the rest of the council,” she said.

Kruse was the biggest spender in initial reports filed at City Hall, and said she expects to spend about $6,500 on her campaign. Initial spending reports showed several contributions from developers; another report will be filed this week.

Hofmann’s campaign got off to a wobbly start when reporters learned that substantial portions of his statement for the sample ballot were copied from Kruse’s 1986 statement.

Hofmann at first denied the plagiarism in a local newspaper, then admitted it and accepted full responsibility. Hofmann said he did not write his own statement, but relied on Planning Commissioner Gary McDonald to prepare it. McDonald apologized publicly for lifting the wording from Kruse.

Birdsall also suffered a blow to his candidacy when questions were raised about whether he has violated state law requiring candidates to live in the cities where they seek office. The Daily Breeze reported finding Birdsall taking out the garbage at his girlfriend’s house in Lakewood early one morning recently, and quotes the manager of the apartment Birdsall lists as his residence as saying he does not live there.

In an interview with The Times, Birdsall said he has lived in Lawndale since 1948. He said he sometimes stays overnight with his girlfriend. If all public officials had to prove they sleep at home every night, he said, there would be far fewer candidates eligible for public office.

A spokeswoman for the county Registrar of Voters said Birdsall is registered to vote in Lawndale and that his address is listed as 15435 Hawthorne Blvd.

Debby Quint, property supervisor for South Bay Mortgage Co. Inc., which owns the apartment building, said Birdsall has lived there since at least 1984. She said the apartment manager was mistaken in saying Birdsall is not a resident, and said the error occurred because the manager receives the $400-a-month rent from Birdsall’s roommate, Dick Carter.

Opponents of Marthens, Weinstein and Rhodes contend that the three have cost the city a great deal of time and money by filing several lawsuits attacking city plans for the civic center. The three candidates led the petition drive seeking voter approval for public projects costing more than $1 million.

“If they had not been violating state laws we would not have had those problems,” said Rhodes, noting that the City Council had to be taken to court to put the exact words of the initiative petition on the ballot. (City Atty. David J. Aleshire urged a modification of the original wording because he said it was unclear and misleading.)

Rudolph’s opponents say that his running for mayor before the expiration of his council term is an exercise in self-glorification. But Rudolph said he is running to give voters an alternative to Kruse, who he claims is overly sympathetic to development interests. Rudolph said he advocates low-density development, but critics say his voting record is not very different from Kruse’s.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Sarann Kruse

The incumbent mayor, she favors Proposition A and opposes Proposition B. Top priorities: developing a five-year financial plan, implementing consistent zoning policies and balancing residential and commercial development.

Ronald Maxwell

Favors both ballot measures. Priorities: parking, traffic, crime, local control of government. He is fond of quoting the Bible and the nation’s Founding Fathers and is endorsed by the GOP’s 53rd Assembly District organization.

Larry Rudolph

An incumbent councilman, he signed the argument for Proposition A but now says the plan is up to the voters. He opposes Proposition B. Priorities: fighting high-density development and improving traffic flow.

Nancy J. Marthens

Opposes Proposition A and favors Proposition B. Priorities: city finances, traffic and development standards. She goes to most council meetings and offers many suggestions and criticisms.

CANDIDATES FOR 4-YEAR TERMS

Carol Norman

Favors Proposition A, opposes B. Named Chamber of Commerce 1987 Woman of the Year; municipal administrator for 15 years. Strong proponent of affordable senior housing.

Harold E. Hofmann

An incumbent councilman, he favors both ballot measures. Priorities: improving traffic, reducing crime and imposing consistent development policies.

Ralph C. Williams

Opposes both ballot measures. Priorities: traffic, parking, improving the quality and cost of housing. Is active on behalf of renters but says he would not support rent control.

Terry W. Birdsall

An incumbent councilman, he favors Proposition A and opposes Proposition B. Priorities: improving parking and traffic flow, providing affordable senior housing and upgrading free trolley system.

Virginia Rhodes

Opposes Proposition A and favors Proposition B. Priorities: finances, responsibility of government to its citizens and consistent enforcement of city laws.

CANDIDATES FOR 2-YEAR TERM

Herman Weinstein

Opposes Proposition A and supports Proposition B. Priorities: residents’ right to vote on city matters, financial responsibility and traffic and parking.

Tina Zarro

Favors Proposition A and opposes B. Priorities: better maintenance of residential property, improving parking and traffic flow and encouraging low-density development.

Dan M. McKenzie

An incumbent councilman, he favors both ballot measures. Priorities: Neighborhood Watch, programs for elderly and fighting drug abuse. Is former Man of the Year and Senior Citizen of the Year.