On April 6, Arcadia will have a local election to fill two City Council seats and the position of City Clerk. Seven candidates are profiled: Charles Chivetta, George Fasching, Vincent Foley, Ruth Gilb, Bob Harbicht, Dennis Lojeski and Gino Roncelli. June Alford is also profiled. She is running unopposed for the office of City Clerk. Photos.
Mayor Roger Chandler lost his bid for re-election as challengers George Fasching and Joseph Ciraulo and incumbent Robert Harbicht were elected to the Arcadia City Council. Fasching led with 27.2% of the vote, followed by Ciraulo with 22.1% and Harbicht with 19.8%.
Mary Young, the only woman in Arcadia's history to serve 2 terms as mayor and only the second on the city council, was unanimously elected as mayor while Charles Gilb was elected mayor pro-tem by the newly formed city council.
Four candidates are running for this year's City Council election: Mayor Charles Gilb, Councilwoman Mary Young, Charles Chivetta and Johanna A. M. Hofer.
City Council will hold its annual reorganization meeting. It is expected that Charles Gilb will be elected mayor for the second time and Jack Saelid will be mayor pro tem, an office he has held before.
Incumbents Sheng Chang and Barbara Kuhn failed in their bids for re-election to City Council as voters gave first-time candidate Gail Marshall, former Mayor Roger Chandler and council appointee Gary Kovacic the nod for the next four years. Gino Roncilli came in well ahead of former Mayor George Fasching for the two year seat. Voters also gave thumbs down to Measure A, a ballot initiative that would have added 2 percent to the current 5 percent utility tax for the next four years.
The seven candidates who vie for two open City Council seats represent two rival political factions which stem from one political event four years ago; the firing of City Manager George Watts in May 1992.
Charles E. Gilb, former Arcadia mayor and two-term councilman, has ended weeks of speculation with his announcement that he will not seek re-election to the council. Unexpected turn: Gilb will run for council seat.
Incumbent councilwoman Mary Young is scheduled to take the gavel as the new Mayor of Arcadia. In the election, about 22% of the city's 25,000 registered voters participated. Here are the final results: George Fasching, 27.2%, 3996, Roger Chandler, 14.7%, 2162, Joseph Ciraulo, 22.1%, 3242, Charles Chivetta, 9.4% 1368, Robert Harbicht, 19.8%, 2907, Eileen Stephan, 6.9% 1014
Mary Young was installed as the new mayor of Arcadia, while Charles Gilb was named mayor pro-tem. Donald Pellegrino and David Hannah stepped down from the council to be replaced by Roger Chandler and Robert Harbicht.
Charles E. Gilb, one of eight candidates for two seats on the Arcadia City Council, can speak from experience. Article states his experiences and views.
Former Mayor Roger Chandler and first-time candidate John S. MacDonnell have joined incumbents Barbara Kuhn, Sheng Chang and Gary Kovacic in pulling papers to run for four open seats at the council elections April 14, 1998.