Dateline Compton – The race for Mayor of Compton remained too close to call this morning among three of the 12 candidates:
- Newcomer Aja Brown is the leader with 1,601 votes yesterday, or 27 percent.
- Former Mayor Omar Bradley, imprisoned after leaving office a decade ago, captured 1,509 votes, 26 percent.
- Incumbent Eric J. Perrodin attracted 1,443 votes for 25 percent.
The City Clerk’s office reported that 1,176 votes remain to be counted. A recount is anticipated, although one must be ordered by a challenger who is required to pay for it. The runoff is June 4.
The three at the top probably were the best known contenders.
[img]1833|left|Ms. Aja Brown||no_popup[/img]Ms. Brown, a second-generation resident, is a 31-year-old urban planner graduate of USC, going up against two dazzling personalities.
Here is her self-description:
“I have spearheaded award-winning municipal marketing programs that proved instrumental in improving Compton’s perception to the investment community. I have helped garner millions of dollars in resources and funding to the City of Compton in less than two years. I am the only candidate who has worked in Community Development and fully understands how cities operate cross departmentally and who can identify key components necessary for reform and revitalization.”
Mr. Bradley and Mr. Perrodin, a deputy district attorney for the City of Los Angeles, both are former Compton police officers. Mr. Perrodin is seeking his fourth straight four-year term.
In this blue-collar city of 96,000 whose main image has been of a corrupt community, there are 45,372 voters. Yesterday, 5,920 turned out, 13 percent.
Among the others, Charles Davis was fourth at 6.3 percent, William Kemp was fifth at 4.5 percent, Lynn Rodgers-Boone sixth at 2.9 percent and Jacquelyn Deloatch was seventh with 1.6 percent, 93 votes.
The rest of the field:
Jeremy Burton, 1.5 percent
Charles Strickland, 1.4 percent
Rodney Allen Rippy, 1.3 percent
B. Kwaku Duren, .06 percent
Calvin Moore, .04 percent
