Runoff for Redondo Beach City Council Election to be held May 16

Two candidates – including a boater – for City Council were forced to campaign for a runoff election after neither of them earned a majority vote cast during the March 7 race for elected office.

Martha Barbee, the incumbent who was appointed to the District 1 council seat after it was vacated in 2016, will face off against candidate Nils Nehrenheim in the conclusive race.

Nehrenheim finished at the top of the heap in a three-way race two months ago, but he fell just short of reaching the 50 percent plus one mark, setting up the May 16 runoff. The District 1 candidate earned 47.99 percent of the vote, according to official results, ahead of Bartee’s 42.51 percent tally. Candidate Rolf Strutzenberg rounded out the final results with 9.49 percent of the vote.

Redondo Beach’s City Council could have a boater on the dais if Nehrenheim is able to clinch a majority of the votes in the runoff. The local boating advocate is also an active member of Rescue Our Waterfront, the grassroots organization challenging CenterCal’s plans to redevelop King Harbor.

Voters will pick a winner for the District 1 seat on May 16.