27 Register for Races in 4 Cities; Filing Extended for Some Offices

Voters in four South Bay cities will pick municipal officials in the Nov. 7 general elections, and 27 candidates filed nomination papers by the deadline Friday. However, the filing deadline for some posts in Hermosa Beach, Rolling Hills Estates and Hawthorne has been extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday because some incumbents in those cities decided not to run for reelection.

The other city holding municipal elections is Rancho Palos Verdes.

In Hermosa Beach, Councilman Jim Rosenberger decided to bow out after one term, saying he had grown weary of City Hall politics and needed more time to run his business. Incumbents Etta Simpson and June Williams, who filed for new terms, will compete with at least five challengers for three open seats.

Challengers who filed by the Friday deadline are Kathleen Midstokke, the city clerk; Les Barry, a journalist who writes mostly for travel publications; Robert Essertier, a computer software executive; lawyer Albert Wiemans and Christina Goddard, who listed her occupation as commercial advertising representative.

Midstokke said she plans to quit her part-time, $1,000-a-month clerk’s job and work as a paralegal. City officials recently refused to reclassify the clerk’s position to full time at a higher salary, she said.

Other potential Hermosa Beach candidates have until Wednesday to file for the council seats.

In Rancho Palos Verdes, a lively campaign is expected for two council seats as a result of controversy over proposed coastal developments and tensions between veteran Councilman Robert E. Ryan and several other council members. Disputes erupted in March when Ryan’s marriage to City Clerk Jo Purcell became known.

Ryan and Mayor Jacki Bacharach have filed for reelection. Others in the running are David F. Roche, a retired deputy assessor; businessmen Alan J. Carlan and Steven Kuykendall; environmentalist Kay Bara and attorneys Bob McNulty and Thomas E. Gibbs.

In Rolling Hills Estates, candidates for two council seats are incumbent Jacki McGuire, USC Prof. Ken Servis, engineer Hirsh V. Marantz and interior designer Susan Seamans.

Mayor Nell Mirels, who was first elected to the council in 1972, decided not to run again. Her decision extended the filing deadline to Wednesday.

McGuire, a special education teacher, is seeking her first full four-year term. She was elected in March to fill out the term of former Councilman Jerome Belsky, who lost his post in a bitter recall election.

6 Vie for 3 Posts

In Hawthorne, six candidates have filed for two open council seats and the mayor’s post. Mayor Betty J. Ainsworth has one challenger, insurance agent Donald Harris. Council incumbents Charles Bookhammer and David M. York will run against Barbara Workman, a community volunteer, and Raymon Sulser, a financial and land-use consultant.

Longtime City Treasurer Howard Wohlner is retiring, so filing for his position will be extended to Wednesday. His deputy, Edelma Campos, has filed for the post. No one filed against City Clerk Patrick E. Keller, who is seeking his third term.

In the Palos Verdes Library District, three candidates filed for two open seats on the board that governs the three-library system. They are incumbent Janet Smith, consultant Frances Bolton and Alex Rennie, a retired general contractor.

The filing deadline was extended to Wednesday because incumbent Robin Hinchliffe did not seek reelection.