Tuesday, June 3 was the California State Primaries and in addition to state and county issues the City of Torrance voted for a new mayor as Mayor Frank Scotto termed out. I am happy to announce that Pat Furey has been elected to be the next Mayor of Torrance. Garnering 6,687 votes for 40.95% of the votes, Furey beat the next closest contender, Tom Brewer who had 35.49% by almost 900 votes. Bill Sutherland came in third with 23.55% of the vote.
The Torrance City Council had 16 nominees running for the four available council seats. The winners in that contest were Heidi Ashcraft, Tim Goodrich, Kurt Weideman and Geoff Rizzo. Rebecca Poirier was elected City Clerk with Dana Cortez being elected City Treasurer. You can find links to all the detailed election results at http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/14062043/2043_CITIES_Frame.htm.
The photos start off at the Torrance City Council Chambers where many gathered to see the results of the absentee ballots. While the numbers and percentages fluctuated a little throughout the evening, the absentee results pretty much called it as far as the final results were concerned. Furey jumped out to an early lead in the mayoral contest; and Ashcraft led from the beginning in the council race. The only real question was the order the top four candidates would finish in.
After leaving the council chambers we made our way to Industry Sports Bar & Grill where Pat Furey was holding his Election Watch Party. While Furey did not seem as sure as everyone else was about his eventual victory, there was an air of confidence in the room as many elected state officials came to congratulate him on his pending victory. The last of the photos were taken at Councilman-elect Tim Goodrich’s home as he watched the returns with his family and a few friends. I would say of the candidates I spoke with before the final results were tallied, Goodrich seemed the most confident of winning a seat on the council.
Now, for a little editorializing. Torrance has close to 150,000 residents; in January 2010 there were 77,247 registered voters. I find that number to be pretty dismal considering how old this city is. What is even more disappointing is that of 77,000 registered voters only 17,000 voted. I read articles suggesting there was a problem with our election process because our next mayor could win the election with as few as 36% of the votes. Judging by the number of people that could be bothered to exercise their Constitutional to vote I think whoever is complaining that so few could wield so much power should instead concentrate on getting the vote out for the next election. If you did not vote, you have nothing to whine about. If transportation is an issue, sign up to be put on the absentee voter list, it makes life so much easier.
Congratulations to Pat Furey, Heidi Ashcraft, Tim Goodrich, Kurt Weideman, Geoff Rizzo, Rebecca Poirier and Dana Cortez. Now the work begins and your constituency looks forward to seeing what you do to improve life in Torrance.
Lastly, it seems that a majority of the campaign signs around my neighborhood have been removed and for that, I thank you.
