Mayor’s seat
Inglewood to hold elections
The City of Inglewood begins accepting nominations Monday for candidates interested in finishing out the unexpired term of former Mayor Roosevelt Dorn.
Papers must be returned to the city clerk’s office by March 2.
Dorn was forced to retire because of a plea bargain agreement he made with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor count of conflict of interest involving a homeowner loan he took from a city program.
The election to fill the unexpired term will take place June 8, and coincide with a county election being held that day.
In order to avoid a run-off, a candidate must receive 50% plus one of all votes cast. If no one wins that majority, a run-off would be held in late August.
If there is a clear-cut winner, that person would hold office until November 2010. At the same time all of this is happening, the clerk will begin taking nominations for the mayor’s election in November.
Additionally, Dorn is potentially looking at appealing his plea, which could complicate matters even further, if the former mayor decides he wants to return to office. At this point Dorn is still awaiting an evaluation by an appellate lawyer.
According to political strategist Kerman Maddox of Dakota Communications, while the former Mayor may not be in office any longer, his influence will still be felt.
“Dorn did a lot in Inglewood. He also looked out for the African American business people, and he was a very, very strong and powerful personality. He could run you over. But there is a core group of people in Inglewood that like him, and respect him, and if I were a candidate, I would seek his endorsement,” said Maddox, who ran all of Dorn’s campaigns.
Maddox believes an endorsement from Dorn would make a candidate stand out in a field that is sure to be extremely crowded and populated with individuals, who have recognition and support in their own small enclaves but lack the total city-wide support and clout to command 50% plus one of ballots cast.
And separating themselves from the pack buy raising more money, garnering labor support or securing endorsements from other powerful figures like Congresswoman Maxine Waters and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is exactly what it will take to win the mayoral race to fulfill the unfinished term and to ultimately take control for the next four years.
INGLEWOOD, Calif.—With 100 percent of precincts and absentee ballots counted, Councilman Daniel L. Tabor has apparently won the run-off election for mayor.
He collected 64.9 percent of the 3,853 vote cast compared to 35 percent for Councilwoman Judy Dunlap.
This has been a tough political year for the city of Inglewood.
In January, three-term Mayor Roosevelt Dorn, who had been in office since 1997, resigned amid charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office of conflict of interest and misappropriation of public funds.
Two months later City Administrator Tim Wanamaker abruptly resigned, after only two years on the job. Then a month later, Jeff Muir, Inglewood’s chief financial officer (CFO) gave his resignation.
Five candidates did not attend the Watts forum: realtor Rebecca Chambliss, businessman Frank Pereyda, small business owner and former 15th District Councilman Rudy Svorinich, and write-in candidates Emery Soos and Timothy Weaver.
To give residents an opportunity to learn even more about the candidates for the 15h District Council race, we sent an survey to each of the 15 people running. Following you will find their answers as well as other pertinent information. Some candidate did not respond, despite repeated calls and e-maiL.
Sixteen contenders, including two incumbents have thrown their hats into the ring in the City of Los Angeles Council districts eight and ten political contests while six people are seeking a seat on the Los Angeles Board of Education including two incumbents.
The candidates submitted their declaration of intention forms by Nov. 9 to the Los Angeles City Clerks office, and now have until Dec. 8 to submit their official nomination papers.
First, thank you to Our Weekly and to Stevie Wonder’s KJLH FrontPage. Together, they supported and promoted last weekend’s community gathering to ‘Craft A Black Political Agenda for California,’ held at the Vision Theater in Leimert Park and hosted by the California Black Think Tank.
