King County Elections released the initial round of results in the Aug. 1 primary, and Jody Lee and Todd White are leading the way in the first stage of the race for Mercer Island School Board director position No. 5. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election on Nov. 7.

The early results were, at press time: Lee (47.51%, 2,847 votes), White (31.05%, 1,861 votes) and David Figatner (21.24%, 1,273 votes). There were 12 write-in votes for 0.20%.

At press time, 6,321 ballots (33.87%) had been counted in the city of 18,665 registered voters.

The election will be certified at midnight on Aug. 15.

School board directors hold four-year terms and their responsibilities include planning, setting and monitoring goals, employing and evaluating the superintendent, adopting an annual operating budget, approving the instructional program and more.

Lee said she was thrilled to start off strong in the race for position No. 5.

“Clearly, Islanders appreciate my history of public service in the schools and the community and it’s great to have the broad support,” she noted. “I’m looking forward to focusing on the issues that are important to Mercer Island parents, keeping our school district one of the best in the state and getting our kids what they need. I’ll keep working to win the support of additional Islanders for the general election in November.”

White, too, was pleased with the early returns.

“My team has worked very hard to listen to our community and to better understand their priorities relative to our students’ education within the district,” said White, who is focused on bringing effective solutions to critical issues surrounding students’ emotional well-being, declining enrollment and the school district’s financial sustainability. He has copious experience managing annual budgets in the corporate world.

Figatner is grateful to receive the 1,000-plus votes from Islanders after entering the race two years following his family’s return to the area.

“The best part of the campaign process was meeting and getting to know parents, teachers and community members, and hearing what matters to them. I will continue to do my best to improve our schools through direct advocacy. Best of luck to the school board candidates in the general election,” he said.

Also in the school board realm, names that will be emblazoned on the general election ballot are Ananta Gudipaty and Cristina Martinez, who will be vying for position No. 1, and Maggie Tai Tucker, who is running for position No. 3.

For more information, visit: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/elections.aspx