Regional Report : ELECTIONS : Hardison Victorious in Close Race for Mayor of Torrance

Voters Tuesday elected Torrance Councilwoman Dee Hardison as the city’s next mayor, picking the retiring mayor’s chosen successor to fill the largely ceremonial post.

Hardison, 56, a program specialist with the Torrance Unified School District, squeaked by Councilman Bill Applegate, 50, the owner of a real estate consulting business. She won 51.2% of the vote to Applegate’s 48.4%.

Next Tuesday, Hardison will be sworn in to succeed Mayor Katy Geissert, who is retiring after eight years as mayor and 12 years as a council member.

“I’ve been cautiously optimistic all along,” Hardison said shortly after her victory Tuesday night at a campaign party at her southeast Torrance home. “I wasn’t shocked at the results, but I knew it would be a tough race.”

Three new council members also were elected to four-year terms, in one of the largest turnovers on the seven-member body in recent memory. Former Councilman Dan Walker, along with retired financial executive Marcia Cribbs and Gardena planning supervisor Jack Messerlian, each won seats. No incumbents were running.

In the race for city clerk, secretary Sue Herbers handily defeated Councilman Mark Wirth and lawyer Gary Spero. Herbers will succeed John A. Bramhall, who is retiring. City Treasurer Linda Barnett ran unopposed.

At her party, Hardison shouted “Get the champagne out!” when the final results came in about 10:40 p.m. She wiped tears from her eyes as her victory sunk in. After thinking about the results for a few minutes she said to the people assembled in her living room “Why am I crying?”

“I need to toast you people because you’re the ones that made this possible,” she said as the crowd chanted “Dee, Dee, Dee.”

Hardison had the support of council members George Nakano, Don Lee and Mark Wirth, as well as strong backing from Geissert.

“She’s past her biggest hurdle--that’s getting elected,” said Geissert, who gave Hardison a dozen pink roses at the victory party. “To me that’s very gratifying.

The two women’s political careers have strong similarities. Geissert and Hardison were the first and second women elected to the council, and will be the first and second women elected mayor.

Applegate had the backing of the Torrance Police Officers Assn. but didn’t have support of any other council members. Since he was elected in 1978, he has sparred with fellow council members and Geissert, often over the performance of and benefits given to top city management. His campaign literature called him the “independent, common sense candidate,” a contrast to Hardison’s oft-repeated description that she is a consensus builder.

At a campaign party at Del Conte’s restaurant Tuesday night, Applegate said he would not have done anything differently.

“We ran an absolutely clean campaign, very positive,” Applegate said at the party, where supporters had made him cakes congratulating him either on his victory or his retirement. “I ran the kind of campaign you need to run.”

Hardison entered the race in late 1992 after Nakano, who was widely expected to run, decided to seek a state Senate seat.

At the time, Applegate had about a year’s head start in the campaign, and kept the upper hand in fund raising and spending. As of Feb. 19, he had $28,093 in cash and had spent $37,018 this year. Hardison had $21,625 in cash and spent $21,682 this year.

At the start of the campaign three months ago, Hardison said she would rely on precinct walking, as she had in her successful campaigns for council in 1986 and 1990.

“I really had to reach citywide,” she said. “We did things the way we always did: We walked and talked to get the people out.”

Hardison will have little chance for a honeymoon. The city, facing state funding cutbacks and declining tax and fee revenue, will have to make up for an estimated $3.6-million to $4.2-million shortfall in its 1994-95 budget, said City Manager LeRoy Jackson. He plans to submit the first of his recommendations on March 22.

“We’re going to have a deficit, and we need to go to the community immediately and ask them “If we need to cut things, where do you want to cut?’ ” Hardison said after her victory.

The budget crunch will make it difficult for Hardison to pursue several campaign ideas, including increased police visibility on the streets and expanding drug and gang intervention programs.

“(Hardison) put out all the fliers with all of her plans, ‘the Hardison plan will do this, the Hardison plan will do that,’ ” Applegate said Tuesday night. “Whatever plans she has to do, it’s up to her to get support and find the money to do it.”

Hardison acknowledged that cuts will have to be made somewhere.

“We need to go out to the community and see what they see as the most important,” she said.

She also will have to help bring Cribbs and Messerlian up-to-date on the city’s budget woes and other pressing issues. (Walker had 14 years’ experience on the council before stepping down in 1992.) Two other council members, Lee and Maureen O’Donnell, were elected only two years ago. To ease the transition, the city plans to spend March 29 in an orientation workshop.

“Now you’re dealing with the toughest budget in a long time,” Lee said. “There are a lot of issues that this council will have to come up to speed on.”