Following a busy and often intense campaign season, King County Elections released the early results of the Nov. 2 general election that night.
In the three races for Mercer Island City Council positions, Salim Nice, Ted Weinberg and Lisa Anderl continued to lead the way after the fourth round of results rolled in at 3:41 p.m. on Nov. 5, which is the last set of returns before the Reporter press deadline.
For Position 2, Nice (5,026 votes, 58.69%) leads Daniel Becker (3,523, 41.14%); for Position 4, Weinberg (4,669, 54.30%) leads Michael D. Curry (3,923, 45.62%); and for Position 6, Anderl (4,776, 55.34%) leads Kate Akyuz (3,844, 44.54%).
The Reporter reached out to all six candidates for comments and received four at post time. Here are their comments, in part.
“I am grateful to the Mercer Island voters for such a strong turnout, even in an off-year election. No election is more critical to our daily lives than our local races, especially City Council elections. We have a lot of enthusiasm in our community, which shows just how much Islanders care about our city,” said Nice.
Added Anderl: “The early returns are very encouraging. I am so grateful for the support of the Mercer Island community, and I look forward to continuing to serve on Council. Regarding the campaign, we were fortunate to have wonderful weather in October, which made it great to walk many different neighborhoods ringing doorbells and getting to know constituents and their issues. It might have been my favorite part of the campaign process.”
Weinberg gave an appreciative nod to his family and copious volunteers for supporting him throughout the campaign: “It’s been a long campaign, but at the moment most of what I am feeling is gratitude. I am grateful most of all to my family – my wife Florence, my kids Mindy and Max, my parents John and Sherry, and my extended family for their love, support, and unwavering encouragement throughout the campaign.”
Akyuz, who called Anderl to concede the race, said, “My campaign promise was for a more forward-thinking government. While I did not win, earning 44% of the vote tells me that many believe we can maintain a high quality of life, while adapting to the rapidly changing world around us. Thank you to those who believed in me and lent a hand, more to be done and I look forward to working together again.”
In a previous Reporter article, the candidates listed the most critical issues to be addressed on Mercer Island as: budget, safety, infrastructure, parks preservation, sustaining Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, the housing crisis, a culture of positivity, high-quality city, environmental sustainability, restoring and maintaining the city’s core services and revitalizing Town Center.
The final results will be certified on Nov. 23.
