Choking back tears, Councilman Steve Sammarco announced at Tuesday’s Redondo Beach City Council meeting that he would not run for reelection during the upcoming March 2017 municipal election.
“Campaigning can be backbreaking work; I know that all too well,” Sammarco said. “I don’t believe my back will allow me to endure the rigors of another campaign.”
In Sammarco’s case, “backbreaking” isn’t just a euphemism. A car accident in January sent the councilman to the hospital, and he’s been constantly been plagued by pain since. Lengthy meetings of the City Council have not helped matters; Sammarco is often seen out of his seat, standing and walking behind the dais in an effort, his face betraying obvious discomfort.
Sammarco also revealed that, in August, he suffered a stroke, and that a meeting with a cardiologist has him facing possible heart surgery. However, the councilman announced that he plans to finish out his term.
It’s long been unclear whether or not Sammarco would chase a second term representing Redondo Beach’s District 4, which includes the Artesia Boulevard corridor and the South Bay Galleria. It was, however, telling that Sammarco had not yet pulled nomination papers for the 2017 election since the nomination period opened on Nov. 14.
A political strategist by trade, Sammarco worked on 2015’s No on Measure O campaign in Hermosa Beach. But his move to politics began when he learned that a mid-afternoon bank robbery near his North Redondo home only had one officer available to respond to it.
Sammarco won his seat in 2013 on a platform centered on public safety and with the backing of many city employee unions. While controversy erupted over his 2014 voting record on union contracts, he proudly pointed out the city’s work to recharge its Police Department during his tenure.
“I’ve worked hard and enjoyed laying it on the line for the safety of residents, students and senior citizens,” Sammarco said. “There’s no more effective leadership than that which protects its people.”
According to City Manager Eleanor Manzano, five people had already pulled nomination papers to run as candidates in District 4 prior to Sammarco’s announcement, though none have yet finished the filing process. The deadline to file as a District 4 City Council candidate is extended by two days to Dec. 14 by virtue of Sammarco’s decision to not run. ER
