ELECTIONS: MUNICIPALITIES : Early Count Has Oxnard Mayor Ahead for 5th Term

Incumbent mayors in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks widely viewed as pro-development held early leads in two of the county’s eight city elections Tuesday night after tough campaigns fought primarily over growth issues.

Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, seeking an unprecedented fifth term in office, was far ahead in the early vote. Outgoing Thousand Oaks Mayor Alex Fiore, seeking an eighth term as a Thousand Oaks city councilman, had posted a slight lead.

In Simi Valley, two-term Mayor Greg Stratton also held a strong lead against his only challenger, Alfred J. Wilson, a retired Los Angeles bus driver.

The local races, fought primarily over the issue of growth, were a test of the political clout of Patagonia Inc., a Ventura clothing company that has become increasingly active in support of slow-growth candidates throughout the county.

Patagonia had endorsed Oxnard council candidate Scott Weiss, Thousand Oaks candidate Elois Zeanah, Simi Valley candidate John Etter and Moorpark mayoral candidate Clint Harper.

All four Patagonia candidates were behind in early returns. Only Harper and Zeanah seemed close enough after early results to have a chance of pulling out a victory.

“None of the numbers sound impressive, but we’ll have to wait and see,” said Patagonia spokesman Kevin Sweeney.

Takasugi said his early lead was an endorsement of the direction he has taken the city in his eight years in office. He also gave credit to old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning.

“I don’t see any major changes in policy,” he said late Tuesday night. “I will follow the same course as I started on eight years ago.”

At his home late Tuesday night, Fiore said he believed his early lead was an endorsement of the council’s current policies.

“I think it shows that people in the city are generally satisfied with the way things are run,” he said.

This is how the eight city races shaped up as the early returns were being counted:

Oxnard

With development and the city’s financial woes as prominent issues in this year’s campaign, six candidates sought the mayor’s seat held by Takasugi and 12 hopefuls ran for two council seats held by Manuel Lopez and Ann Johs.

Running against Takasugi, a retired grocer and four-term incumbent, were Dorothy Maron, a 10-year council veteran; Scott Bollinger, a self-employed investor; John Cobian, a court interpreter; Deborah DeMoss, a homemaker and saleswoman; and John Soria, a semi-retired administrator.

The candidates running against Lopez and Johs were Eleanor Branthoover, Paul Chatman, Oscar Karrin, Roy Lockwood, Richard Morrisset, Bedford Pinkard, Michael Plisky, Robert Randolph, Fred Schwartz, and Weiss.

Former councilman Plisky had a strong lead, with Lopez and Johs following in a neck-and-neck race for the second council seat. Lockwood and Weiss followed close behind.

Simi Valley

Economic growth and the annexation of Bob Hope’s Jordan and Runkle ranches were among the principal issues as nine candidates vied for two council seats and two hopefuls sought the mayor’s post.

Mayor Stratton and Councilwoman Ann Rock said annexation is worth pursuing. Some council candidates were concerned about the environmental effects of the housing development for Jordan Ranch and said the Board of Supervisors should make the decision.

In addition to Rock and Etter, council candidates were Kenneth E. Wenning, Bruce Kanegai, Marilyn Mauer, Harold Fick, David McCormick, Judy Mikels and Sandi Webb.

Webb, a political novice who injected several thousand dollars of her own money to boost her campaign, surprised the field by holding a substantial lead early on. Rock was running close behind, behind with Mikels following.

Thousand Oaks

Traffic, air pollution and crime were the main issues as nine candidates--including incumbents Fiore and Lawrence E. Horner--sought three open council seats. The mayor is selected from among the council members.

Also dividing the candidates was the proposed government center and arts auditorium at the former Jungleland site in Thousand Oaks. Fiore supported the project, while some candidates called it too expensive.

In addition to Fiore, Horner and Zeanah, the council candidates were Ray Grams, Patricia Halfhill, Bob Hughes, Judy Lazar, Bob O’Brien and Michael Markey.

In early returns, Horner, who is seeking his fifth term, was running neck-and-neck with both Lazar and Zeanah.

Moorpark

Managing growth and redeveloping the city’s downtown area were dominant issues as three candidates competed for the mayor’s post and two hopefuls sought one council seat.

Since the city was incorporated in 1983, the mayor has been selected from among the council. This election marks the first time the voters directly chose a mayor to succeed Bernardo Perez, who did not seek reelection.

The race became increasingly heated toward the end, with Harper criticizing Paul W. Lawrason Jr. as a pro-growth candidate. Lawrason rejected Harper’s charges, saying that he supports moderate growth. Also running for mayor was Tom Wheeler, a former parks and recreation commissioner.

The council candidates were Eloise Brown, who is seeking her second four-year term, and John Wozniak, chairman of the Planning Commission.

In early returns, Lawrason was holding a tight lead over Harper.

Camarillo

Eight candidates, including Mayor Charlotte Craven, sought three council seats. As in other cities, slow growth was the buzzword in the election.

Craven, who is seeking her second term, was the only candidate who did not bill herself as an opponent of growth. She has advocated moderate growth. The other seven candidates charged that the city’s growth has led to traffic, high-density housing and crowded schools.

The other two council seats are being vacated by council members Sandi Bush and Tom Martin. The mayor is appointed from among the council members.

The other council candidates were William Q. Liebmann, Joel D. Bonfiglio, Mike Creadick, Stanley J. Daily, Charles (Ken) Gose, Paul J. Kliebert and Harvey Eisenberg.

Gose, a slow-growth candidate who has campaigned for fiscal responsibility in City Hall, held a slight lead over Craven, with Daily following close behind.

Santa Paula

Seven candidates vied for three City Council seats, two of them being vacated by incumbent Mayor Kay Wilson and Councilman Carl Barringer, who have chosen not to seek reelection.

The candidates were Wayne Johnson, Co Engelhart, Margaret Ely, Bob Borrego, Jesse Ornelas, Flo Zakrajshek and 16-year incumbent John Melton.

Johnson, Melton and Ely held close leads over the other candidates.

Fillmore

Six candidates sought two council seats. The candidates were Ray Wolfe, John Pressey, Linda Brewster, Charles (Tom) Robertson, Donald Gunderson and Troy Tashima.

Gunderson led in early returns, with Brewster following close behind.

Port Hueneme

Four candidates were seeking three City Council seats. They were incumbents Dorill B. Wright, James F. (Jim) Daniels, Ken Hess and challenger Gary L. Songer.

All three incumbents held comfortable leads over the only challenger.

Times staff writers Santiago O’Donnell and Psyche Pascual contributed to this story. Jack Searles and Gerry Brailo Spencer also reported.