Maurer, Wolfson pull upset,

Bozajian
re-elected
Calabasas voters reject old guard
By Michael Picarella
pic@theacorn.com

James Bozajian

Calabasas voters rejected two incumbents on the city council Tuesday, a first in the city’s 14-year history.

Mayor Michael Harrison and founding city council member Lesley Devine lost their seats to challengers Mary Sue Maurer and Jonathon Wolfson in an election charged with attacks and counter attacks and a number of divisive issues.

Councilmember James Bozajian was re-elected to serve a third term. Each term is four years.

More than 26 percent of the city’s 13,000 registered voters went to the polls, a slight drop from the 28 percent that turned out in the 2003 city council election.

Mary Sue Maurer

Bozajian, a 39-year-old Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, won the absentee count and all nine precincts with a total of 2,566 votes, or 27.7 percent. He also carried every precinct in his last election in 2001. Maurer, a businesswoman and community activist, came in second with 1,852 votes, or 19.9 percent, and Wolfson, a lawyer and Calabasas Planning Commissioner, received 1,669 votes, or 18 percent. Bob Sibilia, a Calabasas Parks and Recreation commissioner and former mayor, stayed close to Wolfson throughout the evening, but fell 93 votes short of finishing in the top three.

Both Devine and Harrison had been criticized throughout the campaign for causing friction on the city council and dissension in the community.

"It’s clear that the people of Calabasas were ready for a change and wanted to see new faces with new ideas," Maurer said. "People were very concerned about the inability of some members of the council to work together and get projects like the civic center completed."

Maurer attacked the incumbents on two fronts: their alleged lack of civility toward one another at the council meetings and delays in construction of the new $38 million civic center. Wolfson said the incumbents were remiss when they rejected a city hall waste management initiative last year.

Jonathon Wolfson

"The voters have spoken," Bozajian said. "I think because (the civility issue) came up in every candidate forum, I have to assume a lot of (the residents’) concerns were about inter-council relationships."

Maurer and Wolfson granted that the new city council members would still have their differences, but promised that the meetings would run more smoothly.

"I think there will always be disagreements as we debate the issues," Maurer said. "But that’s a healthy democracy. What will be different is that things won’t become personal and the council will always be a place where the residents can go to and know that their problems will be heard and addressed."

Both Maurer and Wolfson are credited with running flawless campaigns as each walked the precincts and positioned themselves as a more palatable alternative to Harrison and Devine. Wolfson also spent the most money, more than $40,000.

Maurer said she felt the key to her success was her ability to reach out to the community. Sibilia said he felt Wolfson ultimately landed the third seat because of his bigger war chest.

This year’s election was the most competitive in the city’s history, Bozajian said.

Harrison, who served only term, finished fifth with 714 votes, or 7.7 percent. Devine had 672 votes, or 7.2 percent. Challenger Vern Padgett finished last.