Final Election Results to Be Released Monday

Redondo Beach City Clerk Eleanor Manzano and her team will finish counting on Monday vote-by-mail ballots received at the polls and provisional ballots cast on election day last Tuesday.

Monday's ballot count will determine not only the final vote numbers but also the next mayor of Redondo Beach.

On Tuesday night, termed-out District 1 Councilman Steve Aspel received 4,075 votes—or 50.9 percent—cast for mayor, while current District 5 Councilman Matt Kilroy received 3,927.

Six-hundred and thirty-one ballots remain to be verified and counted.

"It is a close election, and I expected it to be a close election," Aspel told Patch at his election night party Tuesday. "I hope to win, but I expect a close election."

Kilroy agreed in a separate phone conversation. "It really wasn't totally expected; we knew it was going to be really close," he said.

Nevertheless, Kilroy—who teaches at Adams Middle School—said "it's not likely" that he will be declared the winner on Monday.

"It's 148 votes," he said. "For me to prevail, I'd have to get two out of every three votes. That's assuming all 600 votes counted. It's certainly not likely I'll overcome the 148-vote margin."

Aspel and Kilroy beat out mayoral candidates Eric Coleman and District 3 Councilman Pat Aust in the March 5 election. Redondo Beach's city charter dictates that to win the election outright, a candidate must receive 50 percent plus one of the vote.

Ginsburg Wins District 1

Businessman Jeff Ginsburg decisively beat out activist Jim Light to replace Aspel as the District 1 city councilman.

"I have achieved my goal," said Ginsburg, whose business is in Riviera Village. "I am doing this because I love my city and I think I'll be good for this city."

With 155 provisional and vote-by-mail ballots remaining to be verified and counted, Ginsburg has 59.2 percent of the vote, or 1,235 ballots cast. Light received 40.1 percent, or 852 ballots cast.

"It has been a long six months, but I'm glad I had to do all that I did because I met so many people in my district," Ginsburg said. "Meeting the people is where it is all at."

The District 1 race became enveloped in controversy toward the end of the election, when attorney and former District 1 candidate Dianne Prado posted a letter on her website, Facebook and Patch alleging that businesswoman and former District 1 candidate Kim Fine had been bullied into getting a writ to remove her name from Light's candidate statement.

Ginsburg and Light were the top two vote-getters in the March 5 election, beating Fine and Prado.

At his election-night party, Ginsburg acknowledged his opponent, Jim Light, and said he believes they both share some of the same overall goals for Redondo Beach. Ginsburg said his aim during the whole campaign was to keep things positive.

"I don't want to burn any bridges," Ginsburg said.

In a blog post submitted to Patch shortly after the results were announced, Light congratulated Ginsburg on his win and thanked his own supporters.

"A heartfelt thanks to all my devoted supporters," Light wrote. "Although the results were disappointing, I am truly honored by your dedication and sacrifices on my behalf."

Sammarco Beats Out Jeffreys for District 4

District 4 City Council candidate Stephen "Steve" Sammarco received 670 votes, or 54.6 percent, compared to library commissioner Jan Jeffreys' 558 votes. One hundred and fifty-five provisional ballots remain to be counted.

Sammarco did not respond to a request for comment, and Jeffreys declined to comment on the record.

Diels, Esser Head to Runoff

Redondo Beach residents will have the opportunity to vote in yet another runoff election in July, as none of the candidates aiming to replace retired City Treasurer Ernie O'Dell received the required 50 percent plus one of the vote.

Termed-out District 4 Councilman Steve Diels and activist Dawn Esser will continue to the runoff, scheduled for July 23. They received 2,993 votes and 2,900 votes, respectively, compared to former District 2 Councilman Chris Calge, who received  1,753 votes. The remaining 631 vote-by-mail and provisional ballots will be verified and counted Monday.

Diels surmised that his platform to reform the position attracted voters.

"People want to definitely save money in this city and they have voted me, I presume, for my reputation, experience and education," he said on election night.

Dawn Esser—who entered the public spotlight as leader of the NoPowerPlant.com political action committee, which placed anti-power-plant Measure A on the March 5 ballot—emphasized during her campaign that she was the only candidate with experience as a financial professional.

"I'm just happy that I've got another chance at getting in there and helping the city," she told Patch on Tuesday night.

Manzano indicated that she would recommend the city council make the July election an all-mail ballot to save money; however, Diels said that this year's long election season may result in fatigue for residents, depressing turnout.

"The problem is it’s hard on the voter," Diels said. "They’ve been through a grueling set of elections, and then a run off and then a run off following a run off. It’s going to be  hard and confusing, but you know, it’s our democratic process. We’ve stepped up and made a commitment to see it through."

With 8,092 of the city's 44,418 registered voters casting ballots on Tuesday, turnout was lower than the initial March 5 election. For the first time ever, the vote-by-mail ballots cast exceeded those cast in person at the polls at 5,015 to 3,077.

—Editors John Schreiber and Matt Sanderson contributed to this report.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: 2013 Municipal Elections