Lovingood Tops Roelle In First District Supervisor Race

(November 9)   High Desert businessman Robert Lovingood edged Apple Valley town councilman Rick Roelle in the race for First District supervisor.
Roelle, a sheriff’s lieutenant who has served two-and-one-half terms on the Apple Valley council, held a fundraising advantage over Lovingood in that he had the support of the two major public employee unions representing county employees that proved to be the major donors in this year’s First District supervisor race. The San Bernardino Public Employees Association, representing over 12,000 county non-safety division workers, and the Safety Employees Benefit Association, representing sheriff’s officers and district attorney’s office investigators, had lined up behind Roelle and provided him with over $100,000 in contributions.
Lovingood, who lives in Apple Valley and owns ICR Staffing Services in Victorville, loaned his campaign enough of his own money to be able to answer, if not entirely match the advertising blitz put on by his opponent. Despite the funding disadvantage, Lovingood benefitted from sentiment that is turning against public employee unions’ domination of local politics.
Lovingood jumped to a 5.61 percent lead over his rival with the tallying of absentee ballots shortly after the closing of the polls on Tuesday night.
Throughout the evening and into the morning, Roelle was making a show of closing the gap, but fell short when all 357 of the First District’s precincts had reported. The final numbers showed Lovingood with 38,640 votes or 51.22 percent to Roelle’s 36,798 votes or 48.78 percent.

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