Voters Change Face of Council in Lawndale

In an election that could change the face of Lawndale politics, voters Tuesday elevated a councilman to the mayor’s post, reelected an incumbent councilman and put a political newcomer into a third seat on the City Council.

Council veteran Harold Hofmann, 57, was elected mayor with 42% of the vote, and incumbent Councilman Larry Rudolph, 52, was reelected with 38% of the vote.

Newcomer William Johnson claimed an eight-vote victory over former Planning Commissioner Gary McDonald, who was supported by Rudolph and Hofmann.

Johnson’s victory will remain in doubt until election officials rule on the validity of 22 ballots cast by voters whose names did not appear on the official roster of registered voters. About half of those ballots will probably be ruled invalid. City Clerk Neil Roth, who ran unopposed, said that he did not expect the ballots to change the outcome of the race but that final results would be tallied by Friday.

Council members and candidates agree that Johnson’s election is likely to have a significant effect on Lawndale politics.

Johnson, a 30-year-old supermarket operations manager and president of the La Palma Homeowners Assn., who ran on a slate that was highly critical of the current council, could be the deciding vote in determining who will hold the seat left vacant by Hofmann’s election as mayor. The council must either appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of his term or call a special election.

McDonald said Wednesday that he plans to make a bid for Hofmann’s seat. “It seems it would make sense to do an appointment,” McDonald said. “(But) I believe there will be a special election, and I will run for that.”

Hofmann and Rudolph frequently voted with outgoing Councilman Dan McKenzie, forming a three-vote majority. Councilwoman Carol Norman was allied with retiring Mayor Sarann Kruse. If Johnson votes with Norman, the council could deadlock 2 to 2 on the issue of Hofmann’s replacement.

“Quite frankly, I think it’s going to be impossible to get a nomination (for a council appointment) with that makeup of the council,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Personally, I think the best thing for all concerned will be to get a special election.”

Many candidates said they believe that residential development and the high turnover rate of city employees were among the election’s most important issues but that the large field of candidates diluted the impact of voter dissatisfaction with the current council.

“The vote was split among so many candidates, that it’s certainly not a mandate for the winners,” said Nancy Marthens, 46, a community activist and former parks and recreation commissioner who won 16% of the vote.

Johnson’s slate included Norman Lagerquist, 34, for council and Melissa Bergstrom, 33, for mayor. They ran a campaign promising “a healthier environment for business” and less bickering among council members. The trio won glowing endorsements from Kruse and state Assemblyman Richard Floyd (D-Gardena), who grew up in Lawndale.

Floyd said he endorsed the three, who are Republicans, because he is “tired of the way some of these so-called city officials have acted over the past few years. They lack pride in their office, the way they behave in council meetings--they’re certainly not professional.”

Rudolph, who ran on an opposing slate with Hofmann and McDonald, 31, and has generated controversy as a self-appointed watchdog over city wrongdoing, said he believes that Floyd’s endorsements may have backfired. “I think a lot of people saw through (attempts by) an outgoing mayor trying to handpick her successor and a state official telling them what to do,” Rudolph said Tuesday night.