Pomona Voters to Pick Successor to Councilman Ousted in Recall

Pomona voters--who recalled a councilman three months ago on charges that he harassed employees, maligned minorities and kept government in an uproar--returned to the polls Tuesday to choose a successor from among three candidates who promised stability.

Seeking to fill the remaining 2 1/2 years of the term of former Councilman C. L. (Clay) Bryant were Boyd Bredenkamp, 49, owner of a local doughnut shop; Bob Dahms, 33, an electronics consultant, and Nancy Lopez, 52, a housewife and community volunteer.

The three candidates have promised to serve with more decorum than Bryant, who frequently called the mayor a tramp, once referred to his council colleagues as “a bunch of mental cripples” and was sued for labeling a Pomona police officer a “psychiatric case.”

Bredenkamp and Lopez supported Bryant’s recall. Dahms said he stayed out of the recall campaign and liked some of Bryant’s objectives, but disliked his style.

All of the candidates said they are concerned about crime and eager to promote economic development. Their differences have centered on their allegiances. Mayor Donna Smith and city employee unions endorsed Bredenkamp, prompting Dahms to accuse Bredenkamp of being Smith’s puppet.

Council members Nell Soto and Tomas Ursua, who were once political allies of Bryant, have backed Dahms, leading to charges that his election would continue some of the same policies that prompted the recall.

Lopez, with no endorsement from a council member, sought to turn that to her advantage by claiming that she was the only independent candidate.

Dahms waged the strongest media campaign, with a series of nine mailers, including one to Republicans that showed him working for Republican candidates and another to Democrats that showed him in the company of Democrats.

Assemblyman Charles Bader (R-Pomona) and state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino) both criticized the mailers because their pictures were included, saying they had not endorsed Dahms. Bader was so angry that he endorsed Bredenkamp.