by Brian Simon

A retired real estate broker, a former planning commission member and a housewife could be among the candidates hoping to unseat incumbents Kelly McDowell and John Gaines in next April’s El Segundo City Council election. Loretta Frye and Jim Boulgarides pulled papers from the city clerk’s office on Monday--the first day potential applicants could do so. Kitty Crowley followed suit on Tuesday. They will have until Jan. 11 to officially file their candidacies.

Frye, a 44-year El Segundo resident, sold houses until 1994 and now does sundry volunteer work, including free tax services for local seniors. She said friends had long urged her to throw her hat into the ring. She made her decision while recovering from bypass surgery a few months ago--a procedure she said left her feeling like "a brand new person." Frye stressed that her primary objective is to promote stronger citizen participation in the political process. "More things need to be presented to voters and not discovered after the fact," she stated. "I want to protect my vote." Though concerned about the direction of the current council on issues such as downtown vitalization and the FedEx site development, Frye would not make any direct criticisms. "I won’t run in any campaign that will assassinate anyone else’s character," she said. "I try to deal on a level of dignity and if I have something to say, I go straight to the source."

Though this would be Frye’s first foray into politics, she didn’t think her inexperience would be a problem. "All but one of the current council members were in the same boat when they were elected," she noted. "I love this community and want to support it."

Frye said it was too early to talk about an organized campaign, having to first pore through the candidate packet. The material includes a ballot statement form, nomination papers--applicants must garner at least 20 signatures from registered El Segundo voters--and various state disclosure forms. Each candidate must also pay a total of $410 in fees.

Boulgarides, a fire captain who left the city’s planning commission two years ago, said he had not made a final decision about his candidacy. "I’ve been approached by people to do this, but I am not sure I am running and am not prepared to comment yet," he said.

Likewise Crowley, wife of former planning commission chair Brian Crowley, did not wish to comment, but admitted she was seriously considering running. Her husband is one of the council’s harshest critics, publicly blasting it recently for its stance on campaign finance reform.

According to sources, more citizens are expected to pull papers over the next few weeks, though the final list of candidates is anyone’s guess. The eventual scenario could be in stark contrast to April 2000, when Mike Gordon, Sandy Jacobs and Nancy Wernick ran unopposed to retain their council seats for another four years. At the time, some residents openly accused the council of intimidation tactics to dissuade opponents from seeking office.

Gaines and McDowell also stopped by the clerk’s office Monday to grab their packets. The latter has already kicked off his re-election campaign by enlisting the help of volunteers to raise money and awareness. "I really like this job, I think I do a good job and I don’t want to break up this team," he stated. "In my opinion, this is the most productive council this city has ever seen."

McDowell was not prepared to comment about any future political aspirations other than staying on the council. Every two years the five council members select a mayor from among its group--there is no rotation process as in some other cities. Though any of the members could technically become mayor in April, McDowell stressed that he would continue to promote Gordon. "Mike is a great mayor and I will support him for as long as he wants the job," he said. ER