Ryan Defies Critics, Holds Rancho Palos Verdes Seat

Veteran Rancho Palos Verdes City Councilman Robert E. Ryan surprised and miffed his critics Tuesday by holding onto a his seat after being written off politically by some for his personal conduct.

Ryan, one of the city’s founders and a council member since its incorporation in 1973, ran a close second to Mayor Jacki Bacharach, who was reelected to a third term.

Bacharach, who in the final days of the campaign claimed that Ryan had “destroyed his electability,” said she was disappointed that the voters do not see Ryan as a destructive force in the city.

“I’m not taking away what Bob has done for the city, but in the last year he has turned all of his positive energy into trying to create turmoil,” she said.

Ryan said he knew the race would be close and was concerned that some people would reject him over the conduct issue. The voters decided, however, “that I had been there, I have a record and I have helped a lot of people fight the bureaucrats,” he said Wednesday.

Third-place finisher Steven Kuykendall, who blamed Ryan for turning the council into a “laughingstock,” said he was very disappointed that Ryan was elected and that “the voters chose to go back to the same people for four more years.”

On Oct. 17, Ryan shocked the city by resigning without an explanation or a clarification of his candidacy for reelection. A week later, he explained that he had acted to stop the shunning and harassment of his wife, City Clerk Jo Purcell, by employees at City Hall. But contending that his drastic solution had actually worsened the situation for Purcell, he jumped back into the race.

Bacharach and other officials dispute the harassment claims and assert that Ryan has destroyed staff morale by bullying employees. Simmering anger among council members turned to open discord in March with news that Ryan and Purcell had been secretly married since December, 1987.

Ryan claimed that criticism of his behavior is a smoke screen and that he is being attacked because he is the chief council voice against overdevelopment.

That he is a force in the city was acknowledged by voters Tuesday. Council candidates and others say Ryan’s longtime role in the city has given him a following that overlooks his behavior.

Planning Commissioner Robert McNulty, who targeted Ryan and claimed the support of voters disenchanted with the councilman, said Ryan “has a very, very large base. It’s been there all these years.”

That was shown partly by the defeat of Kay Bara, who, like Ryan, is a critic of hotel and golf development on the coastline. Although she took the strongest preservationist stance of any candidate and spoke of Ryan as a like-thinker on development, she couldn’t arouse quite the same support.

Bara and other environmentalists had criticized Bacharach for favoring big development, a charge the mayor denied. But Bacharach observed that Bara’s strong fourth-place showing indicates that many people are concerned about coastal development.

Only 508 votes separated the first six finishers in the eight-candidate race.