A Dozen Hopefuls Still in Running for Council Ballot

By Jorge Casuso

August 11 -- A dozen City Council hopefuls, including the three incumbents, submitted signatures to the City Clerk Friday, indicating they intend to make a bid for three open council seats in November.

Two of the twelve -- Jonathan Mann and Linda Armstrong, who made unsuccessful bids two years ago -- have qualified for the November 7 ballot.

Filing petitions -- which must be signed by at least 100 registered Santa Monica voters to qualify for the ballot -- were Mayor Bob Holbrook and Council members Pam O’Connor and Kevin McKeown.

Also filing petitions were Gleam Davis, an education activist who, along with O’Connor and McKeown, rounds out the Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) slate, and Planning Commissioner Terry O’Day, who plans to run as an independent.

Other potential challengers who filed their papers by the Friday deadline were real estate broker Mark McLellan, event planner Jenna Linnekens, disabilities activist Vincent Garofalo, Terence Later and Kevin James.

Eleven hopefuls who pulled papers did not file petitions and will not appear on the ballot. They include Jerry Peace Activist Rubin, Pro Se and Donna L. Block, who have all made unsuccessful bids for a council seat.

Also failing to file by 5 p.m. Friday were medicinal marijuana activist Steve Corchado, strategy game inventor Stewart Lamle and local newspaper columnist Edward Winterer.

William Davis, John Medlin, Brennan Lindner, Gordon Donald Adlen and Michelle Dilworth also did not submit signed petitions after pulling papers.

All the incumbents who pulled papers in the races for the School, College and Rent Control boards submitted petitions by the Friday deadline, while the challengers all have until next Wednesday because at least one incumbent on each board is not seeking re-election.

In the race for four open School Board seats, incumbents Oscar de la Torre, Emily Bloomfield and Shane McLoud all submitted petitions.

Challengers Sidonie Smith, Mary Kelly McMahon Pye and Barry Snell have until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to hand in their papers, because incumbent School Board President Julia Brownley is not seeking reelection. Brownley is the Democratic party candidate for State Assembly.

In the race for four open seats on the College Board, Nancy Greenstein, the only incumbent seeking reelection, submitted petitions. The other three incumbents -- College Board President Carole Curry and board members Herbert Roney and Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison – are not seeking reelection.

Challengers Thomas Donner, the college’s chief business officer for 30 years and its interim president before he retired last month; David Finkel, a retired judge and former City Council member; Louise Jaffe, co-founder of the Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS);
Andrew Walzer, a former Santa Monica College teacher, and Susanna Kim Bracke all have until Wednesday to submit their petitions.

In the race for Rent Board, incumbent Jennifer Kennedy submitted petitions this week, and challenger Robert Kronovet, who made an unsuccessful bid for council a decade ago, has qualified for the ballot.

Marilyn Korade-Wilson and Zelia Mollica, who along with Kennedy won the SMRR endorsement for three open seats, also submitted their papers this week. Challenger Donald Fraher has until Wednesday because two incumbents -- Betty Mueller and Alan Toy -- are not seeking reelection to the five-member board.