New Leader in Race for Mayor

Hawthorne’s nip-and-tuck race for mayor took a new turn this week as absentee ballots gave Councilman Steve Andersen a 31-vote lead over Councilwoman Ginny Lambert, reversing preliminary results from last week’s election. A final tally is pending.

When the polls closed Nov. 5, Lambert had 2,332 votes, an eight-vote margin over Andersen. But as of Tuesday, county officials counted an additional 213 absentee ballots, giving Andersen 2,450 votes to Lambert’s 2,419.

An unknown number of absentee ballots remain to be counted with results to be released Friday and next Tuesday, according to the county registrar-recorder’s office.

At a City Council meeting Tuesday night, Andersen and Lambert thanked their supporters and said they would withhold any comments about the election until all the votes are counted.

The newly counted ballots have not changed the outcome of the six-way race for two seats on the City Council. Current Mayor Betty Ainsworth and political newcomer Larry Guidi both remain far ahead of their opponents. As of Tuesday, Ainsworth had 2,434 votes, and Guidi had 1,953. The nearest runner-up, Martha Bails, had 1,817 votes.