ELECTIONS PALMDALE COUNCIL : Final Tally Confirms Victories of 2 Challengers

The margin of victory narrowed Friday, but the result remained the same in the Palmdale City Council election, as a final vote count confirmed victories by two challengers who favor controlled growth over two pro-development incumbents.

In semiofficial returns from Tuesday’s election, challenger James Root held a slim 26-vote lead over first-term incumbent Tom Smith, with 137 of the 4,153 ballots uncounted. When those ballots were tallied Friday, Root’s lead slipped to 15 votes, but that was more than enough.

“It’s been a tough three days and a sleepless three nights,” said Root, 37, a high school teacher and homeowners group leader. “I feel a lot of relief right now. It’s been tense, and the tension had built up hour by hour, and day by day.”

Smith was unavailable for comment Friday but had said earlier that he would not ask for a recount if Root had at least a 10-vote lead.

Root’s victory means the Palmdale City Council, which had five pro-development lawmakers, now will be split 3-to-2. Root ran a joint campaign, calling for more controls on growth, with city Planning Commissioner James Ledford, the top vote-getter in the 10-candidate race.

The final tally had been closely watched by supporters and foes of development in Palmdale. Although they will be a minority on the council, Ledford and Root together are expected to have some say in controlling development.

In the final tally, Ledford got 1,621 votes (20.7%), and Root got 1,500 votes (19.2%), each winning four-year terms. Smith trailed with 1,485 votes (19%), followed by Daniel Becker, the other losing incumbent, with 1,204 votes (15.4%). None of the other candidates got more than 10%.

The new tally made no change in the outcome of the other two contests on the Palmdale ballot. Mayor William (Pete) Knight got 60.8% of the vote to beat two opponents and win a new two-year term. And a ballot measure to give the mayor a four-year term starting in 1992 was defeated, 64.6% to 35.4%.