RICHMAN FAVORED LOCALLY MAYOR OR NOT, REPUBLICAN WILL LEAD VALLEY'S CHARGE.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

Assemblyman Keith Richman took a strong early lead over nine other candidates for mayor of the San Fernando Valley in partial returns Tuesday.

Richman said that regardless of the outcome of the secession vote, he intended to be a leader in a drive for better city services and more public representation in Los Angeles city government.

``Whether Valley cityhood happens or doesn't happen, the movement for a city that provides better services for the people is not going to go away,'' Richman said at a election night party at Porter Valley Country Club in Porter Ranch. ``I see myself working with all other candidates and leaders of the Valley independence movement to work for a better quality of life in the Valley.''

Benito ``Benny'' Bernal, a bus driver and union organizer from Mission Hills, and longtime city government watchdog Leonard Shapiro of Reseda trailed Richman.

The mayor's job and the Valley city would officially start July 1, 2003, if voters citywide and in the Valley approved secession, Measure F.

Although mayor was the only Valleywide office on the ballot, the campaign generated little controversy as candidates focused on a vision of the new city and their local priorities more than attacking their rivals.

The crowded field was made up mostly of political unknowns including reformers and local activists, with only one elected public official among them - Richman, a Republican member of the state Assembly, who was the first declared candidate to enter the race.

Just two of the 10 candidates - Richman and Mel Wilson, a former Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member and city commissioner - set up full-time campaign operations. And only three - Richman, Wilson and Bernal - raised more than $5,000 as of Oct. 19, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.

The mayoral campaigns raised many of the same issues that drove secession: Improving city services, giving people better access to and control of local government, and stimulating the Valley's economy. While the candidates split on issues such as a borough system for the Valley and gun control, the debate was seldom personal.

Richman was the only candidate to be publicly criticized by rivals. Wilson, noting that Richman was also seeking a second term in the Assembly, questioned whether he was fully committed to the Valley city. Marc Strassman criticized Richman's record in the Assembly and his management of Lakeside HealthCare, a company Richman served as chairman before his election to the Assembly.

Richman did not respond to the criticism, instead offering a detailed package of measures he said would improve governance and public services in the Valley. Among other things, Richman proposed dividing the Valley into mostly self-governing boroughs and adding at least 500 officers to the Valley police force.

Richman, who switched his party registration from Democrat to Republican in 1992, stressed that the mayor's position is nonpartisan and that he wanted to improve the quality of life for all.