In the hotly-contested election for the District 1 Council Seat in the City of Inglewood, Danny Tabor won the popular vote by a slim margin of 34 votes with all twelve of the voting precincts reporting following the run-off election held on Tuesday.

“We will not presume anything.” Tabor said. “We had the majority of the votes and we hope the work we have done will carry the remainder of the provisional votes, which may not be available for several days.

“I am confident,” he added. “We were able to do what we wanted to do. I was able to clarify what I have done in the past for this community and what my plan is for the future. The main theme of my campaign was ownership and control of this city by the citizens themselves.”

Rival candidate George Dotson said. “We are waiting for the provisional ballots and there are quite a few.” One of his most vocal supporters, Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn added that he had nothing to say on the night of the election. “I must wait until everything is counted.”

Inglewood City Clerk, Yvonne Horton said. “The provisional votes will now determine the ultimate winner of this election.” Considering the fact that provisional votes include absentee ballots as well as those votes cast by individuals who may have voted at an alternate precinct, she added, “it is not known how many votes must be counted but they will be counted in a manner that is in accordance with the law.”

Horton was satisfied with the manner in which this election had been conducted. “At my request which was actually first presented in April, the Secretary of State came out first thing this morning, observed all of the polling places, and returned later in the day to observe the opening of the ballot boxes.

“In addition,” she explained. “The City Attorney was also present to observe the entire election process,” noting that the concerns of any possible election-process critics could be averted by the overwhelming, independent oversight.

Both candidates had supporters at their individual campaign headquarters awaiting the results and most were disappointed that there was not a clear winner and that the results would be delayed.

Dotson supporter Gloria Grey, Director of the West Basin Water District, was not pleased that her candidate did not win at the polls. “Tonight’s outcome is disappointing to many of us who supported George Dotson,” she said.

Tabor’s supporters, on the other hand, were more confident, including Cindy Giardina, outspoken critic of Mayor Dorn and Interim City Council Member, whose temporary assignment will end upon the election of a new District 1 Council member.

“This election is a referendum against Mayor Dorn and other political outsiders who do not know what is going on in our city; and the people have spoken.” She said. “The mayor’s slate of candidates failed miserably in April and it looks as though he has failed to rally the Inglewood voter’s support again in this race.”

“It is time for a new day in Inglewood!” she declared.

Published in : News, Politics