HIDDEN HILLS : 3 Elected After Mayor’s No-Vote Plea

Two challengers and one incumbent were elected to the Hidden Hills City Council this week, after the mayor of the college campus-sized town asked residents at the last minute not to vote for him.

“Please don’t vote for me!” screamed the headline of a letter sent Monday by Mayor David G. Stanley to residents of the city, which has about 550 homes.

“I have come to the conclusion that my personal and professional obligations preclude my ability to continue to serve on the Hidden Hills City Council,” the letter stated. “I have been very proud to have been a part of the many changes that have been effected by the City Council during my tenure.”

Councilman Howard Klein and businessmen Stuart Siegel and Monty Fisher were elected Tuesday with 244, 275 and 290 votes, respectively.

Voters cast 210 ballots in favor of Councilman James Cohen, who was appointed last year to fill the position of then-Councilwoman Susan Norris Porcaro, who moved. Cohen was unavailable for comment.

Stanley received 77 votes. His successor will be chosen from among the new class of council members.

Siegel attributed the challengers’ success to a telephone campaign conducted by Siegel’s wife.

“My wife and a few friends knew half the voters well enough to call them on the phone and talk to them,” Siegel said. “When a community gets small enough, you can really do that stuff.”

The two challengers said they would change little about the tiny city’s policies beyond expanding security and disaster preparedness.