Potential candidates await confirmation QUALIFIED, from page 1
By Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL — An education advocate, party planner and flight attendant are just some of the City Council candidates to qualify for the November ballot.
They are joined by Mayor Bob Holbrook and council members Kevin McKeown and Pam O’Connor, all of whom collected at least 100 valid signatures from registered voters over the last two-and-a-half weeks, according to a list provided by the city clerk Wednesday afternoon, one hour before the deadline.
Most, if not all, gathered more signatures than required as they tried to avoid being disqualified. One council hopeful wasn’t so lucky.
Kevin James, a local deejay who hosts a radio show broadcast in Washington, D.C., was denied a spot on the Nov. 7 ballot because almost half of his signatures were ruled invalid by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
“I got 125, mostly from people who live in apartment complexes near me,” James, 49, said in his deep, rumbling radio voice. “It turned out 69 signatures were good and 56 were no good, which is very unusual … It’s very disappointing, but I’ve learned my lesson and will give myself more time to collect even more signatures.”
While James is out, Jonathan Mann, a resident of Ocean Park, is in. That came as no surprise to the 60-year-old flight attendant and part-time substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. After all, Mann said he has run for City Council every election cycle since 1990. He has never won, and doesn’t expect to do so this time around, but he feels it is his duty to keep at it.
“It’s mainly because there are always the same issues and the same candidates followed by the same special interests that control the city,” Mann said. “They’ve forgotten about the residents, so I feel obligated to run …”
Those joining Mann on the ballot who have not already been mentioned include: Gleam Davis, a candidate with roots in education who is backed Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, or SMRR; Linda Armstrong, a former council candidate concerned about the well-being of homeless women and low-wage workers; and corporate events planner Jenna Linnekens, who has her eyes set on reducing the homeless population and other quality-of-life issues.
Those who have submitted signatures but are still waiting for the county Registrar-Recorder’s ruling are Planning Commissioner Terry O’Day, Mark McLellan, Vincent Garofalo and Terence Later.
There are three council seats available. As for the Rent Control Board, on which there are three seats open, there are four candidates who have made it through the first cut. They include three who have been endorsed by SMRR: incumbent Jennifer Kennedy, retired teacher Marilyn Korade-Wilson and bookkeeper Zelia Mollica. Property manager Robert Kronovet also qualified.
In the race for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board, where there are four seats up for grabs, incumbents Emily Bloomfield and Oscar de la Torre qualified. Both are seeking a second term and have been endorsed by SMRR.
Incumbent Shane McLoud has filed and is awaiting confirmation, as are Sidonie Smith, Kelly Pye and Barry Snell. Pye and Snell are both endorsed by SMRR.
“I’ve been very passionate about my work with schools, and I think running for school board is a natural progression,” said Pye, who collected 175 signatures.
In the race for the Santa Monica College board of trustees, incumbent Nancy Greenstein has qualified for the ballot along with Louise Jaffe — SMRR candidates. Andrew Walzer, also a SMRR member, is waiting for his signatures to be counted, as are David Finkel, Susanna Kim Bracke and former SMC finance director Thomas Donner.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 17, 2006. Read the original PDF.