INGLEWOOD : Councilman, School Board President Face Runoff

Two veteran Inglewood officeholders face runoff elections because they did not capture more than 50% of the vote during city elections Tuesday.

City Councilman Garland Hardeman, who took 44.6% of the vote, faced three challengers for his District 4 seat. He will square off against Ervin (Tony) Thomas, a longtime political nemesis, in a runoff election June 6. Thomas, who took 27.5% of the vote, has run against Hardeman in four elections.

School Board President Lois Hill Hale also failed to rake in a majority in a field of five candidates. Hill Hale will run against Gloria Dean Gray, who was the top vote-getter with 43% to Hill Hale’s 39%.

Under city election guidelines, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two vote-getters is held.

Councilman Jose Fernandez, school board member Loystene Irvin and City Clerk Hermanita Harris easily retained their seats by a wide margin. City Treasurer Wanda Brown, who ran unopposed, returns for a third term.

Some candidates blamed the runoffs on low voter turnout. Of the city’s 41,000 registered voters, about 8% cast ballots in citywide elections. Turnout in the City Council districts was slightly higher at almost 11%.