DOWNTOWN — At an endorsement meeting Wednesday night, members of the Santa Monica Democratic Club voted to endorse City Council challenger Ted Winterer, in addition to four sitting council members in November’s race.
In making the endorsements, members of the club, who met Wednesday at the Santa Monica Playhouse, rejected some of the recommendations made last month by the organization’s executive committee.
The committee had urged its membership to endorse Gleam Davis and Susan Hartley in the race for two two-year council seats; instead, the members voted to back Davis and Terry O’Day, who was appointed to the council this year to fill a vacancy.
The club’s leadership also had recommended endorsing only Winterer and incumbent Kevin McKeown in the race for three four-year council seats. Members, though, added incumbent Pam O’Connor to the list of endorsed candidates.
Sixty percent of members in attendance at the meeting had to back a candidate for the person to win an endorsement. Each decision on Wednesday was reached after a single round of voting.
Club president Jonathan Troen said he wasn’t surprised the members expressed different candidate preferences from the executive committee.
“The club doesn’t always follow the recommendations. The club votes its conscience and I definitely support what the club decides,” he said.
In the school board race, the club also differed slightly from the executive committee, opting to endorse challenger Laurie Lieberman over Patrick Cady, who had received the committee’s recommendation. Club members validated the committee’s three other school board picks, endorsing incumbents Barry Snell, Ralph Mechur and Oscar de la Torre.
