Incumbents do well in local elections

By Stephanie Bertholdo
Acorn Staff Writer

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn NEW PROCEDURE-Dennis Issenhuth, left, shows Christopher Ishii how to use the new Inka Vote system at Agoura Hills City Hall on Tuesday. Fears that incumbents might be in trouble in the wake of the Gov. Gray Davis recall were put to rest. Two members of the Las Virgenes Board of Education and a city councilman in Agoura Hills were reelected--the only incumbents who were on local ballots.

In one of the most expensive and contentious city council races in the history of Agoura Hills, voters on Tuesday returned incumbent Dan Kuperberg for a third term. John Edelston claimed the second city council seat.

Kuperberg, a Los Angeles County public defender, is currently serving as Agoura Hills Mayor Pro Tem. He captured 1,472 votes (26 percent). Edelston was a close second with 1,450 votes (25.6 percent).

"I’m real excited for all of the support I have had," Kuperberg said in the midst of his victory celebration. "The real message is that the three top people had character and integrity, and character and integrity beat out big money."

Six candidates competed for two seats, one which is being vacated by Louise Rishoff, a 23-year member of the city council. Rishoff is the sister of Stephen Rishoff, who finished third. He received 1,259 votes (22.3 percent).

Edelston said, "I’m thrilled with the results and look forward to working with Denis Weber, Dan Kuperberg, Ed Corridori and Jeff Reinhardt. It just goes to show you that someone who’s never been in politics before, and runs a campaign based upon the issues that are important to the community, has the opportunity to be elected."

Alex Soteras, president of Agoura/Oak Park/Las Virgenes Chamber of Commerce, who ran the most expensive campaign, received 854 votes (15 percent). Soteras spent more than $60,000 on his campaign, the most money spent in the history of the city.

"I think John Edelston is going to make a fantastic councilman for the city of Agoura Hills," Soteras said. "Change is well overdue," he said.

George Christopher Thomas, 26, received 477 votes (8.4 percent), while Seymour Patnode claimed 2.4 percent of the votes with 139 votes.

Kuperberg, 44, is a champion of slow growth in Agoura Hills. He said that during his eight-year tenure on the city council, he helped retard development of Ladyface Mountain and spearheaded the acquisition of 500 acres as protected open space. Due to his and the council’s commitment of keeping development in check, 40 percent of Agoura Hills is open space, he said.

A longstanding member of the council’s legislative committee, Kuperberg said he’s worked closely with state legislators and has been instrumental in securing funding for the Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange improvement project. Topping the list of his goals during his next term in office, he said, is completion of the freeway interchange.

Keeping Las Virgenes Unified School District afloat during California’s budget crisis is also a top priority for Kuperberg, he said. He previously helped Agoura Hills give more than $1 million to the schools, Kuperberg said. A separate city/school committee is now being formed.

Edelston has many goals for Agoura Hills. He wants to establish a community hospital for the area, he said. Another goal, he said, is to create a more inclusive government for residents that encourages public participation.

Edelston, 53, president and CEO of HealthPro Associates, Inc., is L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s appointee to the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Commission. He has chaired the commission for six years.

Kuperberg has lived here with his family for 12 years. Edelston is an 18-year resident of the city.

Voter turnout in Agoura Hills was poor again. Of 12,442 residents registered to vote, about 2,810 actually made it to the polls or mailed absentee ballots, which represented a voter turnout of about 22 percent.