The Santa Monica Democratic Club held three rounds of voting on its way to endorsing one candidate, Planning Commissioner Ted Winterer, out of a field of ten Democrats seeking seats on the Santa Monica City Council last Wednesday.

For the first time in years, a majority of the seats on the Council are open. Mayor Richard Bloom is giving up his Council seat to run for the State Assembly. Two-term Council member Bobby Shriver has chosen not to run for a third term, and the seats now held by incumbents Gleam Davis and Terry O’Day could be taken by any of the other candidates.

Winterer won the endorsement in the first round of voting with 81 votes. None of the other would-be Council members came close enough to threaten his lead in that or subsequent rounds.

He came heartbreakingly close to winning a Council seat two years ago, when, after all the votes had been tallied, he lost to incumbent Bob Holbrook by only 56 votes.

If he wins on November sixth, and the other three empty seats are
taken by newcomers, the composition of the Council could change
radically .But Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) has held a
Council majority since 1988, and If Winterer and incumbents O’Day and Gleam Davis, all of whom have been endorsed by SMRR, win, SMRR will maintain its majority.

Santa Monica Democratic Club President Jay Johnson told the PATCH that “the one-candidate outcome is common when there’s a large field of candidates. In total, there are 15 qualified to run November 6.

“In years past it was very frequent because of division in the [club] over particular candidates. I wasn’t surprised,” Johnson said. “Ted had very strong support.”