City Council in Deadlock; Voters Will Fill Vacancy

The Lawndale City Council will let the voters decide in November who will fill a vacant seat after the four council members deadlocked on who to appoint to the position left open last month.

Wednesday’s stalemate foreshadowed how the politically divided council is likely to deal with several important development issues facing the city in the next few months, many residents said.

Hanging in the balance is how the tiny city will respond to a surge of new development that some say has strained its already fragile infrastructure, exacerbated traffic and parking problems and created intense conflict among its citizens.

The council voted 4 to 0 to set the election on Nov. 6, the same day as the general election, after attempts failed to appoint community activist Gary McDonald, the closest runner-up in April’s race. The seat was left vacant when Councilman Harold Hofmann ran successfully in April for mayor and subsequently resigned from his council seat.

The proposal to appoint McDonald was made by Councilman Larry Rudolph, who predicted that, unless the council could appoint a fifth member, it would find itself intractably deadlocked on important city business.

“From now to November we’re going to be 2-to-2 without a majority,” Rudolph argued to his council colleagues. “Even if we have an election in November, it’s still only going to be a 17-month term. I still think it’s feasible we vote for the next highest vote getter.”

But Councilwoman Carol Norman, an outspoken foe of McDonald, and newly elected Councilman William Johnson, who beat McDonald by seven votes, refused to agree to the proposal, which failed on a 2-to-2 vote. They also refused to support Hofmann’s suggestion that recently retired councilman Dan McKenzie be appointed to the post.

“I feel confident that, excluding this issue, the four of us can take care of city business until November,” Johnson said.

The council made its decision after hearing the comments of a dozen citizens who, like the council, were equally divided about McDonald.

Several people claimed the financially strapped city could save up to $40,000 by not holding an election and instead appointing McDonald to the seat. Their position was backed by a petition signed by more than 200 people.

Speaking in support of McDonald, developer Jonathan Stein directed his remarks to Johnson, asking how he “would have felt if he had lost by seven votes (but) . . . after a long election, after an expensive election, after a very well-attended election, the people’s mandate was not followed? I think there’s every reason to appoint now.”

But others strongly disagreed, saying the number of candidates from which voters had to choose was a key factor in McDonald doing so well in the election.

“I urge you to not diminish the power and authority of that seat by making it an appointed seat,” said community activist Nancy Marthens, who was among 10 council candidates who ran in the April election. “It is by law an elected seat, and I urge you not to put a price on our right to vote on an individual in an election.”

Ron Maxwell, a former parks and recreation commissioner who also ran in April, provoked loud objections from the mayor and members of the audience when he questioned whether McDonald was responsible enough to hold a seat on the council.

“This man is like a stick of dynamite. . . . He goes off on tangents and crusades for personal vendettas,” Maxwell said. “Is this in the best interest and safety of this community and its citizens?”

McDonald was not present but he said Thursday that Maxwell’s remarks would not deter him from waging a bid for the seat this summer.

“I make human mistakes, I’m not perfect, and I don’t think people expect someone to be perfect in everything,” McDonald said. “What no one has ever denied, though, is my interest in this city.”

Norman Lagerquist ran on a slate with Johnson in April and plans to enter the race to fill the vacancy. Lagerquist predicted he would have a better chance of beating McDonald in November because the votes will be split among fewer candidates.