Voters Return 3 to Ojai City Council

Three Ojai City Council members easily defeated two challengers Tuesday to retain their seats after a slow-paced campaign in the county’s smallest city.

Only 1,169 of the city’s 3,976 registered voters--27%--cast ballots Tuesday.

The low turnout contrasts with that of two years ago, when 34.7% of the registered voters cast ballots in a hotly contested race for two seats on the five-member council.

The hottest topics in this year’s contest were traffic, parking, affordable housing, the budget and municipal recycling. The most prominent event of the election--a debate held by the League of Women Voters--drew fewer than 30 people.

Mayor Pro Tem Nina Shelley, 68, an outspoken opponent of the proposed Weldon Canyon landfill site, was reelected to a third four-year term on the council. Of the five candidates, Shelley was the biggest vote-getter with 856 votes or 26.2%.

“I worked hard the last four years,” Shelley said in an interview at City Hall after the votes were counted. “It takes a little seasoning.”

Mayor Joseph DeVito, 57, won a second term with 774 votes or 23.7%. Early in the campaign, DeVito said the laid-back race was a sign of the confidence that the city’s voters had in their political leaders.

Councilman Steve Olsen, who at 40 is the youngest council member, won a second term with 815 votes or 24.9%. Olsen, a junior high school vice principal, campaigned to build bike and foot trail connections to the county’s Ojai Valley Trail.

Challenger Lawrence O. Jensen, 40, an electrician, failed for a second time to win a council seat. In 1986, he lost by only 81 votes. Jensen received 401 votes Tuesday or 12.3%. Despite his poor showing, Jensen said he may run again in 1992, when the other two seats on the council open up.

“I’m going to keep them honest one way or another,” he said.

Margo Eisner, 45, a political newcomer, garnered 417 votes or 12.8%.

Shelley was endorsed by Citizens to Preserve the Ojai, an environmental group that has 700 members in the Ojai Valley.

Those familiar with Ojai said the city’s strong economic climate may have contributed to the incumbents’ success at the polls. Both the city’s sales and bed tax revenues increased by 10% this fiscal year. In addition, the city completed a $1.68-million project last month to strengthen the downtown arcade to comply with earthquake safety codes.

During the election, all candidates agreed that the best solution to traffic congestion was to expand Ojai’s mass transit service provided by a single trolley bus. Olsen and DeVito said the service should be provided seven days a week instead of six. DeVito said the fare, now 75 cents, should be free. Shelley suggested trying free fares during peak traffic hours.

The candidates also agreed on the need to create a curbside recycling program.

The city’s three polling places were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

ELECTION RESULTS

Voting returns from Ojai and around the Southland. B12, B13