Two council races still too close to call

With more than 2,000 votes left to count, two of three City Council races are still too close to call, and may remain that way until next week.

Debbi Lester has a comfortable lead in the Central Ward, but the North and South Ward races remain undecided.

As of Thursday evening, Bob Scales leads incumbent Debbie Vancil by 238 votes, and Kirsten Hytopoulos is ahead of Tim Jacobsen by 311 votes.

These two races are as close as the city has seen in the last decade. Since 2001, the closest margin of victory has been 53 to 47 percent, which happened twice.

Vancil, who has served on the council since 2001, said the high turnout has led to the close races. She surmised the turnout is most likely due to the school bond, in combination with the dysfunctional nature of the city in recent years.

The vote is close because people haven’t decided whose style is best to fix the problems with the government, she said.

“The voters are taking charge like they did in May,” she said. “This time, I think their message is ‘give us a functioning city in return for our tax dollars.’ The reason, it’s tight is because they haven’t figured who is the best person to deliver that.”

Scales, who spends his days as a policy analyst for outgoing Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, said the races are close because the issue of financial problems at City Hall has become all consuming.

“I think during the campaign, because everyone is in agreement that the city is in pretty bad shape, most of the discussion revolved around how we’re going to fix the city government,” he said.

This resulted in the dissolution of traditional dividing lines such as environment versus development, Scales said. Now the citizenry is focused primarily on who can work well with the rest of the council to help rescue the city from its financial peril.

South Ward

Hytopoulos, a mother of three, former prosecuting attorney and criminal justice teacher, ran with the intent of maintaining the island’s rural character and beauty.

She said that while the race is close, she remains confident about her chances the rest of the way.

“We’re excited,” she said. “Cautiously optimistic, I’d say.”

Her opponent, Tim Jacobsen, who would use the financial knowledge he gained during his 35 years as an accountant to help fix the city’s finances, lost a little ground as more votes were counted Wednesday. With a lot of ballots left to be counted, Jacobsen said things could still swing in his direction.

“I don’t think Kirsten’s and my race is over yet,” he said. “We will just have to wait and see for awhile.”

North Ward

Vancil was elected for the first time in 2001. Prior to her time on the council, Vancil served on the city Planning Commission for seven years.

Vancil said she was surprised with how close her race was. She said Tuesday that the results indicate the level of frustration the people have about the city and the council.

“What I’m reading from this is that people are angrier than we thought,” Vancil said.

Vancil said she is at a disadvantage in this election because for the voters who don’t follow city activities regularly, Vancil being on the council means she is part of the problem.

“What they might know is I’m there; he isn’t,” she said.

Despite trailing slightly in the polls, Vancil hasn’t ruled out the possibility that the ballots may swing the vote in the other direction.

“You can’t dismiss almost a quarter of the ballots,” she said.

Scales was excited about his lead, but said there is still a long way to go. Scales noted that many ballots are left to be counted, but he said if the results continue to follow the same pattern, then he is confident in his chances.

“If that holds with the next batch, I’m assuming that’s the way it’s going to be, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

This City Council race isn’t the only one Scales is watching with great interest. The Seattle mayoral race is even tighter than his council race, with candidates Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan separated by less than half of one percentage point. He said his office often gets reorganized when a new mayor comes in, so he is uncertain about his future.

Central Ward

Entering Wednesday, Debbi Lester was the only candidate with a comfortable lead. Lester and her opponent Dee DuMont were separated by approximately 500 votes after Wednesday’s count.

Lester expressed gratitude towards the community for selecting her as its representative for the next four years. And while Lester is excited about the win, she is already preparing for the tasks that lie ahead. The council will have to work effectively with the city staff in order to bring Bainbridge out of the recession, she said.

“With these challenging times it will take all of our collective talents to right this ship financially and socially,” she said.

At the core of the new council will be change, she said. Creation of a more positive demeanor at City Hall and a staff with lower turnover than has been seen in recent months, are just a few of the things the council has to work on.

“Let us focus on changing the tone of our government, making attainable priorities, and securing and keeping excellent city staff,” she said. “It is now our job to get the city’s problems solved. It is now our job to work together.”

Her opponent DuMont conceded the election to Lester in an email Tuesday night. There she expressed her appreciation for those who backed her run for council.

“I am writing to congratulate Debbi Lester and each of the winning candidates for city council,” she wrote. “I wish all of them the very best during their four-year term in office. Although I did not prevail, I thank each and every one of my supporters. I am humbled by the many positive letters and comments that were presented on my behalf, and by the financial and emotional support that I was offered during the campaign.”

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