Recount Is No Help as Challenger Loses by 2 Votes

Businessman Paul Mueller found out on Wednesday he had still come up too short--and two short--in his bid to win a seat on the Agoura Hills City Council.

A recount by the Los Angeles County registrar of voters for the bitter November City Council race revealed that a pair of votes was all that separated challenger Mueller from incumbent Louise Rishoff.

Mueller had asked for the recount when initial election results showed that Rishoff had won by only six votes--1,616 to 1,610.

Because Rishoff came out ahead, that six-vote spread still will be certified as the official tally, said registrar’s office spokeswoman Marcia Ventura. Under election guidelines, the official record only would have been changed if Mueller had prevailed, she said.

Ventura attributed the fluctuating tally to a possible malfunction of the computer counter. The recount was done by hand, she said.

Mueller said he had mixed feelings after hearing the final count.

“When you don’t win, you have to be disappointed,” said Mueller, president of the Agoura-Las Virgenes Chamber of Commerce. “It’s always tough to lose, but I don’t see it as a losing situation. To come within two votes of an incumbent is great. I feel we did a good job.”

Rishoff responsed to the news with relief. “I’m glad that it’s finally over,” she said. “The city needs peace and closure. Hopefully this will provide that.”

Even though the recount was still in progress and the outcome still in doubt Tuesday night, Rishoff was sworn in for a new term as city councilwoman. Joan E. Yacovone, who was the top vote-getter, was also sworn in.

Rishoff added that she did not see the slim victory as an expression of voter dissatisfaction with her performance on the council. She said sleazy flyers and letters attacking her on the last weekend before the election damaged her.

“The absentee ballots that were sent in before that last weekend were strongly in my favor,” Rishoff said. “Also, Joan Yacovone placed so strong and we’re philosophically so close that our placement should not have been that far apart.”

The bitter election was among the closest in the city’s history. The top four vote-getters were within 2% of each other and a record number--39.8% of 10,941 registered voters--turned out.

The challengers--all political outsiders--charged that Rishoff and Yacovone favored certain neighborhoods while neglecting others. Rishoff and Yacovone denied the accusations.

As for Mueller, he said his political future was up in the air: “I haven’t decided if I’m going to run again in two years. But I’m not going to go away.”