ELECTIONS SANTA CLARITA : Darcy, Klajic, Boyer Winning but Koontz Trails

Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy and Councilman Carl Boyer III appeared headed for reelection Tuesday night in the city’s first election since incorporation two years ago, but Councilman Dennis Koontz was losing.

With more than 80% of the vote counted, Jill Klajic, a frequent and vocal critic of the City Council, appeared to have unseated Koontz.

“I am surprised but I’m happy,” said Klajic, who attributed her strong showing to scores of volunteers who campaigned door-to-door.

In the latter days of the campaign, Klajic was the subject of harsh accusations from Boyer, who said she was not suited for public office. Klajic said she would be able to work with Boyer, but said, “I am going to ask him for an apology because the accusations he made were unfounded and untrue.”

Koontz, a retired firefighter, trailed Vera Johnson, a retired educator, and Kenneth Dean, who ran unsuccessfully for the first Santa Clarita City Council in fall 1987.

Koontz attributed his poor showing to slow-growth voters believing the council had approved developments that were actually approved by the county before incorporation. “Their perception was that we could stop growth if we chose to do so,” he said.

Other candidates were Herb Wolfe, a retired Air Force inspector; Linda Calvert, a Realtor; Andy Martin, a rancher and office manager; Wayne Carter, a retired heating fitter.

Seven candidates and three incumbents sought three four-year terms on the City Council.

The campaign for City Council had remained a low-key affair for weeks and--except for a handful of sparsely attended candidate forums and a few billboards and lawn signs--there were few indications that an election was taking place.

But below the surface of what appeared to be a sleepy campaign was a tense and bitter undercurrent that surged to the surface late last week when anonymous letters questioning the integrity and financial history of Klajic were mailed to the other candidates and the media.

Klajic called on other candidates to join her at a press conference last Saturday to denounce shady campaign tactics. Boyer attended the press conference and, in a surprise move, raised some of the same issues contained in the anonymous mailings and said Klajic was not fit for office.

Other candidates complained that the young city was abuzz with unfounded rumors and allegations. Dean said someone had called his neighbors to say he had tried to avoid jury duty.

The campaign styles varied. Darcy outspent her opponents, raising almost $20,000 for her campaign.

Carter and Martin did not file campaign spending reports at all because they did not raise enough money.