A Longtime Champ Hangs ‘em Up : Kenneth Hahn’s South-Central successor will have some big shoes to fill

It’s been said of longtime Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn that he was so folksy he could put his arm around you on the telephone. That’s not far off the mark. The veteran political warrior, 71, has decided that it’s time to hang up the phone, if not the hugs and handshakes. Hahn told The Times he will retire next June.

But lest we get too sentimental, it’s important to remember that the Kenny Hahn who cut ribbons and kissed babies with the best of them also has been an extraordinarily smart and shrewd politician. Elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1947 and then to the Board of Supervisors in 1952, Hahn was the master of the public works project, be it routine street repair or the building of a new hospital. His name was always emblazoned on a sign nearby, reminding the voters that the project was really their tax dollars at work.

When Hahn saw that the demographics of his South-Central district were changing, he got ready to change with it. He enlisted the aid of the late City Councilman Gilbert Lindsay, then a maintenance worker, to introduce him to the key ministers and shopkeepers in the black community. He got to know them all personally. It was the beginning of a warm relationship with his constituents that lasted for more than four decades.

Now, as Hahn prepares to retire, many blacks are looking forward to electing an African-American to the board for the first time. The unemployment and crime problems facing the 2nd Supervisorial District, which is largely Latino and black, are in some ways more difficult than the problems Hahn first faced many years ago. Hahn’s successor on the board may not be able to afford to be collegial. That district needs a fighter as never before.

Kenneth Hahn has fought the good fight. Now his successor must be ready to take it up with even greater fervor.