Hermosa Beach City Council candidate Raymond Jackson with wife Rachel and their sons. Photo courtesy of the Raymond Jackson campaign
Hermosa Beach City Council candidate Raymond Jackson with wife Rachel and their sons. Photo courtesy of the Raymond Jackson campaign
by Dan Blackburn
Raymond Jackson, a retired Army colonel, turned a lifetime of unique professional responsibilities Tuesday night into an easy win for an open seat on the Hermosa Beach City Council.
While a limited number of ballots remain to be counted, Jackson outpaced four other candidates to replace Hany Fangary, who resigned in December following a move to Manhattan Beach.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Raymond Jackson had a healthy lead in Hermosa Beachâs special election to fill a vacant City Council seat, according to the semi-official results from the Los Angeles County registrar on Tuesday night, May 11.
Jackson, vying against four other candidates to replace former Councilmember Hany Fangary, had about 36% of the vote, as of 8:39 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
The veteran said he was overwhelmed and blessed by the early results and thanked his volunteers, supporters and well-wishers.
âThis is a result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,â Jackson said. âSo they deserve all the credit and thanks.â
With ballots already arriving in the mail and sample ballots being sent out this week, voters will decide among five candidates for a Hermosa Beach City Council seat in an all mail-in election on May 11.
The candidates are from diverse backgrounds and recently discussed a few issues about outdoor dining and its impacts on local businesses, the importance of cityâs small town feel while hosting events that attract thousands of visitors and world-wide attention and why they feel they offer a new perspective to the City Council.
The five candidates are:
Retired budget director Dean Francois;
Retired U.S. Army Col. Raymond Jackson;