by Mark McDermott
Joe Franklin was reelected and Nina Tarnay elected to the Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night, emerging first and second from a field of six candidates vying for three seats. Candidate Steve Charelian held a 550 vote lead ahead of Karen Komatninsky for the third and final seat, likely winning election, but uncertainty remained as thousands of ballots were still being counted.
Franklin led all council candidates after election night tallies with 8,808 votes, or 25.99 percent of the vote. Narnay earned 7,364 votes, or 21.7 percent. Charelian was at 5,910 votes, or 17.44 percent, followed by Komatinsky at 5,351, or 15.79 percent. Though Charelian’s lead is significant, in 2020, Franklin trailed candidate Greta Fournell by 484 votes on election night but eventually won by 88 votes after all votes were tallied. The LA County Registrar’s office will be releasing new tallies daily over the next two work weeks.
The two remaining candidates, Joe Marcy and Brenda O’Leary, were too far behind after election night to catch up in subsequent tallies. Marcy had 3,337 votes, or 9.84 percent, and O’Leary 3,126 votes, or 9.22 percent.
Franklin credited his campaign, who called themselves Team Joe, for his victory.
“I really owe so much to my dedicated volunteers,” he said. “They were with me in 2020 and they were with me in 2024 and they worked so hard…They came through for me, and really made a difference.”
Beyond Team Joe, of course, was the candidate himself, who is a natural campaigner for whom knocking on doors is less a task and more an opportunity to extend his love affair with his adopted hometown. His colleague, termed-out Councilperson Steve Napolitano, earlier this year described Franklin a “believer in Manhattan Beach.”
“I really enjoy campaigning and meeting people and I learn so much every time I do it,” Franklin said. “So it’s a lot of fun…What I really enjoyed learning again this time was just how much people love Manhattan Beach. They just fall in love with Manhattan Beach because it’s such a special and unique place, and so that just gives you energy every time you talk to people about it.”
One of Franklin’s biggest issues has been public safety, and more specifically stepping up the City’s ability to prosecute misdemeanors under state law. The City Council attempted repeatedly to find ways to prosecute, including contracting out with the City of Redondo Beach’s prosecutor’s office, but was stymied by District Attorney George Gascon, who lost his bid for reelection Tuesday. Franklin has already spoken with the newly elected DA, Nathan Hochman, who told him a few months ago that if elected he would authorize the City’s efforts to contract Redondo Beach.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to do this is it gives us access to Redondo Beach’s homeless court, which is very innovative and very successful,” Franklin said. “You talk about compelling people to change — it is just remarkable.”
Tarnay is a political newcomer but already well known in the community after two decades as a community volunteer and serving as a trustee for the Little Company of Mary Foundation. She built an unusually robust campaign for a first-time candidate.
“I’m a community member, and I’ve put in my time and shown that I really care about this community,” Tarnay said. I think anyone who’s known me, knows this, and that’s why I had very passionate and enthusiastic volunteers, because I’ve worked alongside all these people. And it wasn’t just in one sector, it was across the board, between the schools, sports, my work at the hospital, and my community volunteerism.”
“My team was probably the hardest working team,” she said. “We worked until the very end and that’s really a reflection of the kind of community support that I have that I am so appreciative of. Because it’s all about that, you know — I ran because I saw that there were people who were supportive who have the same values that I have and who want to see a council that just does the work that is necessary without being divisive. I am thrilled Manhattan Beach feels that way about me, and I am looking forward to being able to represent everybody in the city.”
Her election also represents an American Dream. Tarnay’s family fled their native Vietnam after the Communist regime took over. When she was only six years old, Tarnay spent six weeks adrift on the ocean, one of thousands of so-called “boat people” who were seeking freedom.
“When I was younger, I really cringed at those words, ‘boat people,’ because it was so reductive,” Tarnay said. “And in a lot of ways, early on, I saw it as embarrassing, that we were refugees, and we were in some ways castaways. As an adult now, gosh, it’s empowering to me, because it represents people who are willing to do anything for their families and for brighter futures. So it wasn’t embarrassing, the sheer will of people like my parents who made those decisions to move forward.”
Tarnay had long harbored a desire to give back to her community through public service. Last Mother’s Day, her three children gave her the nudge, giving her a T-shirt in the style of the Napoleon Dynamite movie, emblazoned with words Vote For Nina. Dozens of volunteers wore those shirts at her campaign party Tuesday night.
“It really did start from the family,” she said. “My kids and my husband were supportive, so that T-shirt really embodies their buy-in, and my buy-in. Then, it really worked great, because [the T-shirt] connected to the younger population. From a campaign standpoint, it was very visible, and very fun.”
See EasyReaderNews.com for vote tallying updates. ER
