James Hahn, Holden Back Pye for Council

The race to succeed the late City Councilman Gilbert Lindsay--self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Great 9th District”--picked up speed Thursday with City Atty. James K. Hahn’s endorsement of an aide to his father.

Hahn and Councilman Nate Holden endorsed Brad Pye Jr., an assistant chief deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, whose district includes an area that Lindsay represented for 27 years.

“I’ve had a special affection in my heart many years for the 9th District,” James Hahn said during a news conference with Holden on the steps of City Hall. “I know that Brad Pye will be a fighter for the people of the 9th District.”

Earlier this week, Supervisor Hahn and former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali backed Pye in the April 9 election, in which he will face a number of candidates. The field includes former Lindsay aide Bob Gay and Los Angeles school board member Rita Walters, who has been endorsed by Mayor Tom Bradley.

The 9th District spans the extremes of the city, from the skyscrapers of downtown to some of the poorest neighborhoods in South-Central Los Angeles.

The 59-year-old candidate grew up in the district and knows it well, James Hahn said. For 29 years, Pye was managing editor of the Sentinel, one of the nation’s best-known black community newspapers.

“He knows that the people deserve their fair share of the Pye,” Hahn said, using the candidate’s campaign slogan.

Hahn said that Pye would work hard tackling the district’s escalating crime problem, making it “a safe and pleasant place.”

Holden said he could not think of a better replacement for Lindsay, who sat beside him in the council chambers. “If he were here today,” Holden speculated, “I firmly believe Brad Pye would be his choice.”

Pye, joined by a handful of supporters that included Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Vince Evans, said he wants to improve the economics and appearance of the district.

“I look forward to working with the city attorney in the elimination of slumlords,” he said. “I will be accessible, I will be available and I will be visible.”

Cleaning up the graffiti-plagued district, he said, will be a top priority. He said he would start with the Gilbert Lindsay Center, a gathering place for community members.

“It’s full of graffiti,” Pye said. “It looks like a Third World building.”