If Elected, Couple Will Surprise the Skeptics : Politics: Husband and wife Richard and Jacklyn Polis are candidates for La Palma’s City Council. Observers say voters don’t want two-fifths of the city’s power under one roof.

When the La Palma City Council fought to keep veteran Councilman Richard Polis off the November ballot by enforcing a legally questionable two-term limit, Jacklyn Polis became incensed.

And like some people who get angry at the goings on at City Hall, she filed papers to run for City Council. Even though a court later overturned La Palma’s two-term limit and ordered the city to put her husband’s name on the ballot, Jacklyn Polis didn’t change her mind about running.

Polis, 47, said she remains determined as ever to win one of the three council seats to be filled Nov. 3, opening the possibility that a husband and wife might both serve as council members.

Together, the Polises bought 150 pink and blue campaign signs to persuade voters to put them both in office. Also, volunteers will be hanging the couple’s flyers on doorknobs.

The joint campaign has the advantage of pooled campaign expenses. But other candidates, council members and political scientists expressed strong skepticism that the joint campaign will lead to a joint victory. History also works against them: Husband and wives running for the same office typically fare poorly on election day.

Richard Polis, 51, also carries a second liability:

“Those people who support term limits will obviously not be supporting him,” said Mayor Larry A. Herman. “I think he’s got a tough road to climb. Whether he’s got enough support in the city remains to be seen.”

Two-term Councilman Keith Nelson, who is not seeking reelection, agreed that Richard Polis will face a backlash for suing the city to overturn the law. But Nelson, who makes it no secret that he does not support Polis, said he still hopes voters will consider other issues when marking their ballots.

“I hope that citizens don’t look at it as just a term-limit issue with Richard and make a good decision on other issues,” Nelson said.

Richard Polis said that some residents who support term limits have told him that they nevertheless will vote for him because the courts held term limits illegal.

Two of the other four candidates, though, say the term-limit suit and the presence of both Polises on the ballot will work against the couple.

Candidate Wally Linn, a friend and neighbor to the Polises and Richard Polis’ appointee to a minor city committee, said they would serve the city well as individuals. But he thinks their marriage status will hurt them in the polls.

“To have a husband and wife on the same council, it’s rather remote that would happen in a city the size of ours,” said Linn, 53, a mortgage broker. “That’s putting two-fifths of the city’s power in one household, under one roof. It just seems to me that would be a difficult concept to sell.”

Candidate Duane Schuster, 61, agreed.

“If they’re going to vote for a Polis, I don’t think they will vote for both of them.” Schuster said.

Two political scientists familiar with local elections agreed that a husband and wife face a serious liability by running for the same office.

“The probability of their election goes way down by having two people in the same family on the ballot,” said Mark P. Petracca, a UC Irvine political science professor. “It’s a legitimate campaign issue for opponents to raise: Do you want two-fifths of the City Council of La Palma in the same household?”

Normally, Jacklyn Polis would have stood a good chance of being elected, because voters seem ready to elect more women to office, said Sandra Sutphen, chair of the Cal State Fullerton political science department. But with her husband running, Jacklyn will face a huge liability, Sutphen said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they both get defeated,” she said.

“Women are still earning respect in politics, and I think there are still some people who will think, ‘She’s going to just vote the way her husband wants her to vote, so we’re giving him two votes.’ Whether (that thought) is fair or true is another matter.”

Jacklyn and Richard Polis, though, say they can assure residents that they are individuals, despite being married for 26 years.

“They may be concerned about it,” Jacklyn Polis said. “But I think they don’t have to worry. I’m my own person.”

“She’s her own woman--and you can quote me on that,” Richard Polis said. “My wife will vote her own mind. And no one knows that better than I do.”

Six years ago, three pairs of husbands and wives ran for seats on Orange County school boards, and one man tried to join his wife on the Fountain Valley school board.

In each race, the couples finished dead last. The man running for his wife’s school board also came in last.