Justin Massey and Jeff Duclos edged out three other competitors to claim the two available seats on the Hermosa Beach City Council, preliminary results indicated Tuesday night.
With votes tallied in all five precincts, Massey collected 1,523 votes and Duclos garnered 1,489, according to results provided by the Los Angeles County registrar of voters.
Incumbent Peter Tucker was third with 872 votes. Ken Hartley had 683 votes, and Trent Larson got 475.
The close totals of Massey and Duclos in the winning spots underscored the continuing importance of the issue of oil extraction in local politics. Massey and Duclos received extensive support from the coalition behind the March defeat of Measure O, which would have allowed for oil extraction in Hermosa’s tidelands.
“Getting the support of the stop-oil movement was huge for my candidacy,” Duclos said at an election night gathering. “To have them embrace me, believe in me, and support me was a major part of the equation.”
Supporters said that the election of Duclos and Massey signaled a political maturation for residents that coalesced around environmental issues.
“Stopping something is not progress,” said resident Robert Fortunato. “Getting people doing something generative is what makes a difference over time. This is really the next chapter for Hermosa.”
While Measure O may have been on the minds of voters, Tuesday’s election produced considerably smaller turnout than the March special election. An estimated 2,642 voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election. By comparison, the vote on Measure O drew 7,515 voters.
As of Oct. 4, total registration for Hermosa Beach stood at 13,951.
In other contests decided Tuesday, Monique Ehsan and incumbent Patii Ackerman claimed the two board spots for the Hermosa Beach City School District, preliminary results indicate. Ackerman came in first with 1,470 votes, and Ehsan got 1,235.
James Scott and incumbent Lisa Claypoole, the other candidates competing for two school board seats, finished third and fourth, with 976 and 697 votes, respectively.
Elaine Doerfling and Karen Nowicki were re-elected for clerk and treasurer, respectively, after running unopposed.
The biggest margin of victory in a contested race went to Measure H, which increases Hermosa’s transient occupancy tax on hotels from 10 percent to 12 percent. Almost 85 percent of voters favored the tax boost.
The money produced by such a tax would go to Hermosa’s general fund. With several new hotels in development for the downtown area, Measure H could be a key source of revenue for the city.
“It will have a positive impact on Hermosa for years to come,” said George Schmeltzer, who was involved with the yes-on-H campaign. “Estimates are for between half a million and a million dollars a year. In the days of Prop. 13, that’s pretty significant.”
Both Massey and Duclos were glad to be able to put the campaign behind them, citing the toll of walking precincts. But those close to the candidates were also convinced that the consistent outreach was what made the difference in the election.
“He was willing to respond to every e-mail, every Facebook post, every phone call,” said Jennifer Massey, Justin’s wife. “It might not have been the answer they wanted. But they got answers.”
