2 Newcomers Force Runoffs in Inglewood Council Races : Elections: Incumbents Daniel K. Tabor and Anthony Scardenzan failed to win a majority of votes. They will face a print shop owner and a former teacher in a runoff June 8.

Stressing the need for change, two political newcomers have forced veteran Inglewood City Councilmen Daniel K. Tabor and Anthony Scardenzan into a June 8 runoff election.

After the ballots were counted Tuesday, Curren Price Jr., a print shop owner and community development consultant, had placed second behind Tabor in District 1, and Judith L. Dunlap, a former teacher, had finished second to Scardenzan in District 2.

The two council incumbents, seeking their fourth, four-year terms, each won slightly more than 42% of the vote, falling well short of the more than 50% needed to avoid a runoff.

“I think people . . . were receptive to the notion of change,” said Price, who has argued that the city needs aggressive new leadership to tackle its high crime and unemployment rates.

Referring to the tenure of the incumbents, Dunlap: “People feel like 12 years was enough.”

Price, who won 22.3% of the vote, and Dunlap, who collected 27.2%, each made it into the June runoff by finishing ahead of four other challengers. Price squeaked into second place only 30 votes ahead of Mary H. Allen--another Tabor challenger--who bankrolled her campaign with $30,000 of her own money. Price estimates he spent about $13,000, while Dunlap ran a campaign costing less than $2,000.

If voters believe, as both challengers argue, that the city has failed to come to grips with its problems over the past decade, then both incumbents could face trouble. However, Tabor insisted Wednesday that he does not see incumbency as a handicap in the coming runoff.

“If that had been the case, I would have been pushed out (on Tuesday), but the people voted for me,” Tabor said. “I feel very good. We’re confident that we’ve got accomplishments to talk about.”

Tabor, a 38-year-old United Way executive, argued that his 12 years of council experience will be a political asset. “There’s a difference between saying that you want to do things and having done them,” he said.

Scardenzan, a 64-year-old Italian immigrant who owns a Gardena tool and die business, was less cheerful about the runoff, saying it only “extended (the) agony of campaigning.”

Though he says he expects to win, Scardenzan said the election battle with Dunlap would be nasty and fraught with political jousting that would have little to do with real issues.

In many ways, the council runoff is expected to foreshadow next year’s mayoral race. Scardenzan said Dunlap is a “puppet” of Councilman Garland Hardeman, who was not up for reelection this year but plans to run for mayor next year. The current mayor, Edward Vincent, is supporting Scardenzan.

Both Hardeman and Tabor, the Young Turks on the council, tangle openly and frequently with Vincent and Scardenzan. It is unclear, however, whether Hardeman will support Tabor or Price.

In the school board elections, two incumbents--Lawrence (Larry) Aubry and Thomasina M. Reed--easily won reelection. Aubry was unopposed. Reed beat Mildred Tennyson McNair.

The winner of the third seat was Dexter A. Henderson, a political newcomer. The incumbent currently holding that seat is Joseph T. Rouzan Jr., who dropped out of the race, but whose name remained on the ballot.

District 1

11 of 11 Precincts Reporting

CANDIDATE VOTE % Daniel K. Tabor* 1,276 42.3 Curren Price Jr. 674 22.3 Mary H. Allen 644 21.4 Gilbert A. Mathieu 252 8.4 Brad N. Pye Jr. 126 4.1 Pamela Fisher 42 1.4

District 2

7 of 7 Precincts Reporting

CANDIDATE VOTE % Anthony Scardenzan* 377 42.2 Judith L. Dunlap 243 27.2 Satanand (Stan) Sharma 117 13.1 Gary J. Nelson 70 7.9 Mark B. Ganier 58 6.5 Barbara Anne Seymore 27 3.0

(NOTE: Runoffs are scheduled among the top two finishers in each race because no candidate garnered 50% of the vote.) * Denotes incumbent.

Inglewood Unified School District

Seat 1

33 of 33 Precincts Reporting

CANDIDATE VOTE % Thomasina M. Reed* 2,922 66.6 Mildred Tennyson McNair 1,461 33.4

Seat 2

33 of 33 Precincts Reporting

Lawrence (Larry) Aubry* 3,602 100.0

Seat 3

33 of 33 Precincts Reporting

Dexter A. Henderson 2,715 65.1 Joseph T. Rouzan Jr.* 1,458 34.9

* Denotes incumbent.