2 on Seal Beach Council Reelected; 3rd in Runoff : Vote: Incumbents Doane and Mayor Forsythe hold off challengers and claim vindication. Councilwoman Hastings must try again against businessman Klisanin.

Two incumbents were reelected and a third faced a runoff Tuesday after a low-key election that centered on how to maintain the city’s small-town charm while improving its weak fiscal condition.

In District 3, which covers the Marina Hill area, Mayor Gwen Forsythe easily defeated businessman John Baker and homemaker Kathy Parker, winning more than 60% of the vote.

In District 5, which covers Leisure World, Councilman William J. Doane defeated engineering manager Richard Davies in a close race.

In District 1, which covers the Old Town area, Councilwoman Marilyn Bruce Hastings faces a runoff election against businessman Jim Klisanin.

The winning incumbents said the election indicates public approval for the way they have run the city, including the City Council’s controversial decision last year to more than double the monthly tax residents pay on their telephone, gas and electric bills.

Forsythe said she was “thrilled and excited. It’s been a very long campaign. . . . I think I ran a clean, honest and ethical campaign. I think that people responded to the facts.”

The two incumbents’ victories keep somewhat intact a City Council that over the last four years has become known for its skeptical views of new development. Election challengers accused the council of being anti-growth and for not doing enough to help Seal Beach’s business community.

A central issue in the election was the city’s poor financial health. Seal Beach has faced a string of large budget shortfalls and has been forced to balance the city’s books by laying off workers and raising taxes. Over the last three years, the city has cut spending and personnel each by about 20%.

Challengers in the race criticized incumbents for raising the utility users tax last year, saying it was the wrong way to increase revenues.

Incumbents defended their actions as the only method for balancing the city’s books without making massive cuts in police and other services.

Candidates made a variety of suggestions for raising new revenues, from reopening the city’s long-dormant jail to holding fund-raisers to pay for city projects.

Challengers also accused the current council of not doing enough to improve business conditions, especially on Main Street. They said incumbents burdened merchants with too many regulations and rejected proposals aimed at expanding existing restaurants.

Council members said that they sought to balance the concerns of residents with those of business people. Incumbents said there already are too many businesses that sell alcohol on Main Street and that they didn’t want to add more.

Public safety was another issue discussed during the race. Several candidates proposed building a police substation at the Seal Beach Pier as a way of bringing a permanent police presence to the Old Town area.

Other candidates said they wanted the city to increase the number of police patrols.

FINAL ELECTION RETURNS

Seal Beach City Council

District 1

100% Precincts Reporting Votes % Marilyn Bruce Hastings * ** 569 49.0 Jim Klisanin ** 475 40.9 Charles Antos 118 10.2

100% Precincts Reporting Votes % Gwen Forsythe * 811 63.9 John Baker 320 25.2 Kathy Parker 139 10.9

District 5

100% Precincts Reporting Votes % William J. Doane * 460 54.8 Richard Davies 380 45.2

* Incumbent

Elected candidates are in bold type.

** In runoff