LOCAL ELECTIONS : Redondo's 2 Council Races Have Plenty of Controversy, Candidates

By GEORGE HATCH

March 1, 1991 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

During a Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club lunch this week at Charley Brown’s restaurant in Redondo Beach, 70 guests were chewing on prime rib, potatoes and issues ranging from graffiti to government spending.

The occasion, an eight-way debate featuring contestants in Tuesday’s City Council election, illustrated how this year’s two council races have no shortage of candidates and controversy.

“I have been accused of being cheap with city money and (of) overspending,” Councilman Stevan Colin, the only incumbent standing for reelection, said at one point in the proceeedings. “I have been accused of just about everything.”

Up for grabs Tuesday are Colin’s District 3 seat and the District 5 post being vacated by Ron Cawdrey, who lost a court bid to overturn the city’s two-term limit for the mayor and council members.

In District 3, Colin, a 33-year-old attorney, is taking on two challengers--E. Gregory Cox, 43, a salesman of X-ray equipment, and Jack Tyler, 29, a salesman of outdoor signs. The biggest campaign spender in the contest is Colin, who had paid out $1,417 as of Feb. 16. Cox and Tyler reported campaign spending of $1,132 and less than $1,000, respectively.

The District 5 race involves Michael Herman, 35, a beer wholesaler; Roberleigh Richester, 41, a marketing executive for a medical group; Mary Ann Rockwell, 37, an account manager for a supplier of business furniture; Bruce Unruh, 43, who lists himself as a businessman; and Joseph R. White, 63, a retired construction superintendent.

Of the five candidates, Herman has spent the most money--$4,125 as of Feb. 16. Other spending reports as of Feb. 16 listed White at $2,830, Rockwell at $1,837, Richester at $1,050 and Unruh under $1,000.

The keenest competition is for the open seat in District 5. So far, most of the media attention has focused on Herman and Unruh, whose candidacies have sparked friction between Mayor Brad Parton and City Clerk John Oliver.

Parton has endorsed Herman, and Oliver is a close friend of Unruh--though he has not endorsed Unruh to avoid a conflict with his duties as city elections officer.

On Feb. 14, Parton tried to remove Oliver as elections officer, arguing that some voters might not consider the clerk impartial. He cited Oliver’s role in discovering that from 1982 to 1989, Herman had listed a business address instead of his home address on his voter registation form, a violation of the law.

But the mayor failed to persuade council members to sideline Oliver--and drew criticism of his own for endorsing Herman on stationery nearly identical to the city’s letterhead.

Herman, who asserts he did not know he had registered illegally, says he’s unsure how the imbroglio will affect his campaign. He says he’s also uncertain about the effect of Parton’s endorsement.

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re the guy Brad’s supporting’ and say, ‘Good, I like you,’ ” he said. “But who knows?”

Herman, a member of the citizens advisory committee on the city’s General Plan, says one of his top issues is traffic. He says his goal is to develop a traffic plan that encourages motorists to use major routes such as Inglewood and Manhattan Beach avenues--and discourages them from cutting through neighborhoods. But the job, he says, would not be easy.

“Traffic probably is the most controversial and confusing issue,” Herman said. “I don’t know if there’s one simple solution.”

Unruh set a city campaign spending record four years ago, plunking down nearly $158,000 in an unsuccessful bid to become city treasurer. This year the son of the late state Treasurer Jesse Unruh is running the antithesis of his earlier campaign.

Expecting to spend less than $1,000, he has pinned his hopes on door-to-door politicking. In this week’s Chamber of Commerce forum, he said his main priority would be to stay in close touch with constituents, pledging to meet with District 5 residents every Saturday morning in Anderson Park.

Said Unruh: “I call this City Hall at Your Doorstep.”

Among the other candidates in District 5, Richester, who participated in a Big Brother program from 1972 to 1981, says the city should place more emphasis on youth programs. The effort would help block the growth of gang activity in Redondo Beach, he says.

To combat graffiti, Richester recommends that the city offer rewards for information leading to the arrest of illegal spray-painters. “People love to fink on each other,” he said at the Chamber meeting.

Rockwell, who is backed by council members Colin and Barbara J. Doerr, expresses concern about a wide range of issues. For traffic, she recommends hiring a consultant or traffic engineer, “so we can come up with a solution that everyone can live with.”

On the proposed Aviation Park recreation complex, Rockwell says the city should avoid overbuilding and unrestricted access.

“I do not want to see a large facility that will attract residents from outside this area,” Rockwell said.

The Aviation complex concerns White for a different reason. White says tentative city plans to build uncovered swimming pools there “is pure folly.” Cold weather would make the pools unusable for a significant portion of the year, he argues.

On gangs, White says the city needs more than increased police protection. Parents of children who might join gangs must also be encouraged to keep closer track of their children, he says. “Parents are part of the problem, so let them be part of the solution,” he said.

In the District 3 contest, Cox says city plans for the Aviation recreation complex have been far too extensive. He says unbridled City Council spending has funneled money from worthier projects, such as the development of Dominguez Park.

“(Colin) goes around presenting himself as someone who saves money for the city, and he wastes more than anyone,” Cox said, pointing to Colin’s support for the Aviation Park complex.

Tyler said he supports city plans to reinforce the Main Library in Veterans Park to make it less vulnerable to earthquakes, but he faults Colin for backing a proposal to build a new library near City Hall. Tyler says the current Main Library and the north Redondo branch library offer plenty of book space for the city.

“We’ve got plenty of libraries already and access to an excellent library in Torrance,” Tyler said.

Colin points to city projects to develop Franklin and Lilienthal parks and to resurface Redondo Beach roads as signs that the council is working effectively.

He also says he is keeping a close eye on the city budget. As an example, he says he will oppose any use of city operating funds for the reconstruction of the Redondo Beach Pier. He also pledges that the Aviation Park facility will be built on a scale suited solely to Redondo Beach’s needs.

And Colin says he would fight to scale back plans for a new library if the city fails in its attempt to secure a state grant that would pay for most of the project. But he disagrees with Tyler’s assertion that the city doesn’t need new library space.

Said Colin: “There shouldn’t be a reason why people from Redondo Beach have to go outside the city limits to check out books.”

THE CANDIDATES--REDONDO BEACH CITY COUNCIL Steve Colin

District 3 incumbent

Age: 33

Occupation: Attorney

E. Gregory Cox

District 3 challenger

Age: 43

Occupation: Salesman, X-ray equipment

Jack Tyler

District 3 challenger

Age: 29