By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
Whittier held its municipal election Oct. 2 filling three city council seats, and on Oct. 15 council members voted for a new Mayor and vice Mayor.
The council re-elected Lester Lunceford as Mayor and Jerry Vandergriff as vice Mayor to another one-year term.
As for the three open council seats; Juan Cardenas, Rebecca A. Cotner-Eldridge, and Jeremy Lancaster were all elected to a three-year term. The three candidates were sworn in at the Oct. 15 meeting.
Whittier, with a population of 182 year-round residents, typically has a strong turn-out for its elections. This year 94 voters showed up at the polls along with 16 absentee voters.
Cardenas defeated Chuck Price for Seat B collecting 61 votes to Price’s 34. Joe Shen received two votes and Larry Bussman two.
Cotner-Eldridge collected 57 votes edging out Donna Estell for Seat C. Estell held seat G for the last three years, but opted to run for Seat C in this year’s election. Joe Gray came in a distant third with only one vote.
Lancaster, who held Seat B the previous term, ran for Seat G this election and defeated Larry Bussman collecting 65 votes to Bussman’s 43. Mike Price received one vote.
Next year two seats will be open: Seat E now held by Dave Goldstein and Seat F held by Lester Lunceford.