Compton’s Mayor Wins a 2nd Term

Compton voters overwhelmingly reelected Mayor Eric J. Perrodin to a second four-year term over seven challengers, according to final election results released Wednesday.

Perrodin’s landslide Tuesday contrasted with his win four years ago, when he narrowly defeated self-styled “gangster” Mayor Omar Bradley in a hard-fought contest.

Perrodin called his capture of 54.4% of the vote a mandate, saying, “I think the people of Compton are happy with the direction the city’s going.”

In 2001, Perrodin won by only 281 votes, after an election in which many in the community accused Bradley of corruption and nepotism.

This time, although Perrodin was also accused of nepotism, the campaign was cordial by comparison.

The 46-year-old mayor captured 3,382 votes, far outdistancing his closest rival, Cecil Rhambo Jr., who received 1,157, or 18.6% of votes cast.

Rhambo, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s commander, said Perrodin had brought little positive change to the city’s image. His campaign pledged to bring residents and businesses better civic services, such as tree trimming, street maintenance and recreation programs.

Rhambo accused Perrodin of nepotism because the mayor’s brother, Percy, runs Compton’s parking and code enforcement as a consultant.

Perrodin denied using influence in his brother’s hiring. He said he has bolstered the city’s image by enticing businesses to locate there, securing grants to buy new equipment for the Fire Department and pushing a beautification program.

In 2001, Bradley faced eight challengers in a bitter, personal race that saw the airing of unsubstantiated allegations ranging from cross-dressing to murder. Calling himself a “gangster mayor” at a time when gang crime was rampant in the impoverished city of 93,000, he was attacked for his aggressive style and accused of hiring friends and family members on the city tab.

Bradley was convicted in February 2004 of felony corruption charges stemming from personal use of a city-issued credit card while he was mayor. He was sentenced to three years in prison for using the card to pay for clothing, golf rounds and hotels, among other purchases.

Perrodin ran against him as a squeaky-clean reformer but himself ran afoul of the law. Last year, the state Fair Political Practices Commission fined him $11,000 for failing to report that amount in contributions from Death Row Records in a timely fashion during the 2001 mayoral race.

Two City Council seats also on the ballot were thrown into runoff elections on June 7 because no one won a majority.