Incumbents, Boyd back

It has been 24 years since tavern owner Kelly Boyd last sat on the City Council dais.

Boyd will be sworn in on Dec. 5, along with incumbents Toni Iseman and Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider, the top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s City Council race, with all 26 precincts counted.

“[Wednesday] was insane; the phone never stopped ringing,” said Iseman, who got little sleep the night before due to excitement and the late hour that the Laguna votes were posted.

“I am delighted with the support. I think my concern about the neighborhoods resonated.”

Iseman, who, as mayor pro tem, is in line to serve as mayor in the next year, plans to continue as the city’s representative to the South Orange County Water Authority.

“It is a really important responsibility, and Elizabeth and I both reach out to communities outside of Laguna [on regional issues],” Iseman said.

Pearson-Schneider opined that the one-two finish in the election reflected voter approval of the results achieved by the alliance the two councilwomen had forged in the past four years, despite political differences.

“I think people like the fact that council members with opposing views have been able to work together and get things done,” Pearson-Schneider said. “One of my biggest goals is to continue to the congeniality we’ve seen in the council chambers.”

Iseman was chosen for reelection by 4,494 voters in the latest figures available on Thursday.

City Clerk Martha Anderson said all precincts in the county have been counted, although the election is not yet certified. The county Registrar of Voters has 28 days from the election date to certify the results.

“I do wonder why it took so long on election night to tally and release the Laguna Beach votes,” Iseman said.

Iseman said she had talked that night to people in other South County towns, and they had precinct totals when only the absentee ballots were posted for Laguna.

“It’s worth looking into,” Iseman said.

In the most recently released figures, Iseman was 261 votes ahead of second-place finisher Pearson-Schneider, who had 4,233 votes.

Boyd placed third in the four-candidate race in latest returns, with 4,142 votes. Verna Rollinger, who was elected to seven terms as City Clerk, came in fourth.

“This is the first election I have ever lost,” Rollinger said. “It’s not as much fun as winning.”

Rollinger trailed Boyd by 178 votes in the uncertified count.

“Some of my supporters said [on Wednesday] don’t concede, that not all of the votes have been counted,” Rollinger said.

However, Rollinger was out checking the tires on her trailer that morning, getting ready to roll. She has been unable to indulge in her love for roving and camping out during the campaign.

‘Perfect’ campaign fails

Some local political pundits are shaking their heads about Rollinger’s loss. Her campaign was considered a model.

“She did everything right,” said Pearson-Schneider campaign treasurer Anne Johnson. “She got better and more comfortable with each forum.”

Former political consultant Norm Grossman said Mayor Steven Dicterow’s decision not to run may have been a factor in Rollinger’s loss that she could not control.

“If he had run, the Republicans would have had three candidates, which might have benefited Verna by splitting off some votes from Kelly,” Grossman said.

Pearson-Schneider said mailers by Laguna Beach Republicans and the Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn. were instrumental in electing her and Boyd.

“They did very targeted mailers to purely Republican households, the message being preserve Republican values,” Pearson-Schneider said. “The council race is not supposed to be partisan, but people tend to vote for the candidates that they perceive have similar values.”

Pearson-Schnieder’s own mailers concentrated on her leadership in the Bluebird Canyon landslide recovery effort, her dedication to getting community/senior center built and her support for water-quality programs and finding the funding for them.

The firefighters’ independent campaign on behalf Boyd’s success should not be underestimated, Rollinger said.

“But I think all the candidates did a good job,” Rollinger said. “I am proud of the campaign we ran.”

Low turnout disappoints

However, Rollinger was disappointed at the low turnout for the council race: 44.5% of the city’s 18,075 registered voters, according to the registrar’s uncertified figures.

“It is really hard for people as politically active as me to understand or accept the fact that less than 50% voted,” Rolligner said. “I have never missed an election. My mother, who is 88, has never missed an election.”

Grossman speculated that the low turnout might be attributed to the civility with which the campaign was conducted.

“Nicely-run campaigns do not get a big turnout or get issues discussed,” Grossman said. “I don’t mean ‘dirty’ as the opposite of nice — urgency is the opposite of nice. You have to give people a reason to vote.”

Grossman also has a theory that Laguna Beach tends to be anti-incumbent. Former Councilman Wayne Baglin was elected four times, but never consecutively. Dicterow, who had planned to run for a fourth term, is believed to have pulled out of the race when a poll purportedly indicated he had worn out his welcome.

Crossover votes for Iseman

However, Bob Gentry and Neil Fitzpatrick, as well as Dicterow, were elected for three terms within recent history. Iseman’s bid for a third term was supported by all of the other candidates.

“She got the crossover vote,” Pearson-Schneider said. “Besides, she is just so likable.”

Boyd thinks he also appealed to a broad cross-section of the community.

Political observers said Boyd overcame a late entry into the race — virtually on the deadline to declare candidacy — with the support of local Republicans and the taxpayers’ association. He was also the only man among three women in the council race and the first name on the ballot.

“Everything makes a difference,” Rollinger said.

Although out of politics for years, Boyd has name recognition as the owner of a popular tavern that caters to locals and has deep roots in the community — he is a fourth-generation Lagunan.

“Obviously, the support of the firefighters was helpful to my campaign.” Boyd said. “The president of the firefighters’ association, Andrew Hill, talked me into running. The Hills are old family friends; they have been in town since the 1940s and the kids grew up here.”

Hill’s parents, John and Alice, were among the Boyd supporters who waited out the returns Tuesday night at the Marine Room, which was hopping.

Money not a factor?

The firefighters group reported on their campaign statement dated, Nov. 1, paying $18,523 to The Strategy Group in Pasadena, identified by Hill as payment for mailers.

“Kelly had the most PAC money behind him of any candidate,” Pearson-Schneider said.

The Laguna Beach Taxpayers Assn. Political Action Committee reported spending $3,875.51 on a two-candidate mailer for Boyd and Pearson-Schneider, and contributions of $330 to each of them. Boyd himself had raised the least money reported in the November statements: $32,301. Pearson-Schneider raised the most: $72,510.07; followed by Rollinger, who reported raising $55,871, and Iseman, who collected $44,145.31.

Village Laguna of Laguna Beach reported spending $4,924 for literature to support Iseman and Rollinger,

“Money was clearly not a determining factor in this race,” Republican strategist Frank Ricchiazzi said. “Voter turnout was. Democrats stayed home because Angelides was a loser, and the Republicans used Arnold because we knew we had a winner and we jumped on it.

“Our mailers had pictures of Schwarzenegger and our two local candidates. We just pounded on the message, and the Taxpayers’, which was if you are going to vote for Schwarzenegger, these are the two local candidates to vote for.”

But it was Iseman who came out on top, and she expects to be busy.

“We have a lot to do in the next couple of years,” Iseman said. “We need to do some long-term planning. The Civic Arts District has people in line to develop it, and we need to have an even and fair strategy and oversight.

“And it is my perception that everyone in Laguna has an opinion and everyone cares.”