With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, former Mayor Roy Byrnes is back on the City Council, and incumbent Sam Allevato will retain his seat in unofficial results released around midnight.
"Naturally, I'm grateful for the support of so many," Byrnes said early Wednesday morning. "I'm gratified for the confidence. I just hope I don't disappoint."
Byrnes and Kim McCarthy had captured the lead in mail-in and early voting and with two precints reporting, but the next wave of precincts reporting drew in the majority of the votes.
For a moment, only 166 votes separated Allevato and McCarthy, but the incumbent pulled away some more for a total of a 273-vote difference.
Five candidates, including one incumbent, were vying for two seats on the council. (Candidate Melissa Abbott-Kaffen dropped out earlier in the race, but her name remained on the ballot.)
With all 24 precints reporting, here's how the race shaped up:
ROY L. BYRNES 4,962 25.7% SAM ALLEVATO 4,283 22.2% KIM MCCARTHY 4,010 20.8% GINNY KERR 3,594 18.6% TOM MARANTZ 1,245 6.5% MELISSA ABBOTT-KAFFEN 1,206 6.2%
The voters appear to have split the vote between two factions.
Since the election of Derek Reeve to the City Council in 2010, many votes have gone 4-1, but the election of two compatriots in McCarthy and Byrnes could have changed all that. The two have been running as a slate. But only Byrnes will join Reeve.
Incumbent Allevato and Planning Commissioner Ginny Kerr ran as something as a slate as well, and have spent tens of thousands to win.
Meanwhile, Tom Marantz ran as an outsider and garnered 6.5 percent of the vote. He told Patch he was moved by how his fellow candidates and the community received him. He vowed to serve the city in some other capacity.
Schrimp, is this how you begin the cumbaya moment.
good luck
Now, if we can just fix Global Warming.
yes I seen you guys over by sj creek road this morning .. I took around 80 signs down and it was good work out.. .and it feels good to be a part of history,,, I see so much change in this valley ,,might as well be a volunteer..and leave a mark...
I was never one to mince words even as Mayor. You apparently identified with my comments.
For example; I can't believe that you people talked Roy into running for Council. There are so many things that he should be doing now to enrich the rest of his life. 4 years of this venom is going to hurt him more than anything i could have said about him. This is the most selfish thing I have ever seen in my life.
What an unselfish act by both of them. Thank you Doctor and Mrs. Byrnes !!
I will bet you that Roy didn't wake up one day and decide how much fun it would be to be on the Council, someone convinced him, I hope that they don't regret doing so. I hope that I am wrong and that he enjoys the experience and comes through it unscathed, I truly do!!!!