Council OKs Election for Carney’s Seat

The City Council unanimously approved a November election to replace former Councilman Kevin Wright Carney, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant who resigned after being charged with 17 felony counts of child molestation and abuse.

Carney was elected to the four-year council seat in November but resigned three weeks ago in a letter written from his downtown jail cell. He said his resignation was to prevent further negative publicity to Palmdale and to allow him to focus on his legal case.

“It allows our residents to determine who they want,” said Mayor Jim Ledford about the election. “We thought our residents wanted to weigh in on that decision.”

No one would have been satisfied with a council appointee, Ledford said, because there were so many candidates who had sought the office in November’s election.

Before the council acted Wednesday night, a pre-meeting march and rally was led by Sandy Corrales, the runner-up for a council seat in November’s election. About 50 people marched with her from Poncitlan Square to the council chambers.

Corrales, who said she is a moderate Democrat, has lobbied the council to appoint her to the vacated council seat, an option the council could have taken. She was the third finisher, behind Carney and Mike Dispenza, who both won seats.

“I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t go the appointment route,” she said Thursday. “It seemed the more fiscally responsible thing to do.”

A vote next November will be a consolidated election with other races and will cost the city $35,000 to $40,000, said City Clerk Victoria Hancock.

The Palmdale City Council has been without a fifth council member for almost a year. Councilman Terry Judge stepped down last February when he was named captain of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Palmdale station.

A vacant council seat often means a lost critical vote, Corrales said. After Judge left, a low-income housing complex in east Palmdale was approved, she said. But in her opinion, had there been a fifth council member, it would have been denied.

“I have every intention of running for the seat in November,” she said.