ELECTION 2020: Franklin officially declared winner of third council seat
Incoming Councilperson Joe Franklin celebrates with some of his closest supporters. Photo by Bill Harding
Nearly a month after polls closed, Joe Franklin finally won election to the Manhattan Beach City Council, winning the third open seat to join reelected incumbents Steve Napolitano and Richard Montgomery.
The lengthy process, which resulted from the unusually large numbers of mail-in votes, created a topsy-turvy end to the council race. Candidate Gretel Fournell led on election day but was overtaken by Franklin a week later. Ten tally updates occurred, and the final count was certified Monday afternoon. Franklin finished third in a seven person field, narrowly outdistancing Fournell, 7,887 to 7,799, with Napolitano finishing first and Montomery second.
Franklin, a 36-year resident of Manhattan Beach, expressed gratitude for his supporters.
“I’m pleased, honored and humbled at the amount of support I’ve received in this election,” Franklin said. “I want to thank the residents of Manhattan Beach who put their trust in me with their votes. There are so many amazing and caring fellow residents to thank who unselfishly gave their time, energy and creativity to make this happen. It’s an honor to serve with fellow Councilmembers Steve, Richard, Hildy [Stern] and Suzanne [Hadley] who are also my friends. I will tirelessly work with them and our diligent city staff to help our city get through this crisis.” ER