WESTMINSTER : Smith Reelected, but Huseth Loses Seat
Mayor Charles V. Smith defeated two challengers for his seat, but Councilwoman Anita Huseth lost her reelection bid to Craig Schweisinger.
Voters also shot down a controversial proposal to hike business license fees and approved a measure that would designate a council seat in the 1992 election as a two-year post.
Smith captured almost half the vote in running well ahead of his challengers, Councilman Frank Fry Jr. and Darryl De Graw, who received around 25% each.
“I think basically it says that people of Westminster are satisfied with the direction the city is going as far as redevelopment and as far as the road to fiscal recovery is concerned. I think it was a good, clean campaign all the way around. Most candidates stuck to the issues,” Smith said.
Measure KK, a proposal to designate one seat in the 1992 election as a two-year post, passed with 57% of the vote. A normal term runs four years, and the purpose of the onetime difference in terms is to even out the number of council seats open each election to two. The current system elected three during one election and one the next.
Measure LL, a proposed business license fee hike, failed 2 to 1.
“We have to go back to the drawing board on the business license increase and come up with something a little more palatable,” Schweisinger said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
