ELECTIONS / REDONDO BEACH : O’Dell Will Be 1st New Treasurer in 20 Years

When he is sworn into office Tuesday, Ernie O’Dell will become Redondo Beach’s first new treasurer in 20 years. In a runoff election this week, O’Dell, 51, ousted Alice E. DeLong, 61, who held the office for two decades.

O’Dell received 2,741 votes (57.8%), while DeLong received 1,977 (41.6%). Twenty-five votes (0.5%) were cast for write-in candidates.

The runoff was declared after the March 7 general election yielded no candidate in the three-person race with more than 50% of the votes.

O’Dell said as treasurer he will try to promote harmony and better employee morale at City Hall. The treasurer’s office will be “a different world, a place where people will not feel intimidated,” he said.

He said he will have the office audited before he makes any changes in investments.

“Right off the bat, I think the best thing I can do is get an evaluation of what is the current status,” he said. Most city investments are committed for three to five years, he said, and he doesn’t want to change them for fear of losing money for the city.

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DeLong said she is disappointed to lose the race but said she gave it her best effort.

“I think I did the best job I could,” she said. “I wish the new treasurer great success.”

The two candidates took very different tacks during the campaign. O’Dell, the city’s Chamber of Commerce director, pounded the pavement from the day the runoff was declared until the evening before the election. DeLong’s campaign was extremely low-key.

While spending $17,245 on his campaign, O’Dell and his wife spent at least three hours every day knocking on doors to bring his message to the voters.

“I’ve hit just about every door in Redondo Beach that voted in the last election,” O’Dell said.

O’Dell said he did a thorough job relaying his experience and aggressive leadership skills to the people and he believes the voters were ready for a change.

DeLong spent only $4,985 in her campaign, saying the voters who supported her in the past would continue to do so because of the consistent and thorough job she had done.

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Over the last year, DeLong has faced allegations that she mismanaged the department and abused alcohol on the job. She also was recently sued by a city administrator who alleged that she struck him. DeLong says the allegations are nonsense but voters may have been influenced.

“There has been so much negative information that I’m not sure what effect it had,” she said.

DeLong said the mudslinging was upsetting, but it motivated her to continue fighting.

“I’ve always had the city in mind in everything that I do, and I think there’s been a lot of wasted energy in this last year,” she said.

DeLong spent the morning at work and then went home to await ballot results with her husband. She spent the evening watching the polls on television with friends, just as she has in the past.

O’Dell spent his day visiting various polls and watching closely as election results began coming in. He celebrated his victory with friends and supporters at Legends Sports Bar.