Ballot count produces few changes in tight Valley races

Ballot counting continued on Monday, with no major surprises.
Recounting may be required if trends persist in tight city council races in Selah and Sunnyside — once elections are certified on Nov. 24. Counting of ballots will continue until then.
So far, the turnout rate is 46 percent for Yakima County voters.

Grandview
Javier Rodriguez, a winery cellar operator, maintained his lead against Larry Bolan in the race for an open seat on the Grandview City Council. Bolan, a retired Boeing engineer, had been ahead of Rodriguez on election night but lost his lead with the following day’s count.
On Monday, Rodriguez was ahead by 47 votes. The count stands at 511 to 464, or 52 percent to 47 percent.

Moxee
Longtime City Councilwoman Maravell Gonsioroski fell further behind newcomer Dave Hunter. On Monday, his lead increased to 13 votes — up from 10 on Friday.
The count stands at 201 to 188, or 51 percent to 48 percent of the total.

Selah
Newly counted ballots have tightened the race for an open seat on the City Council. Former councilman Allen Schmid was behind John Gawlik by only four votes Monday.
Gawlik, a retired police officer, had 680 votes compared to Schmid’s 676 votes. The vote margin between the two candidates was 0.3 percent. On election night, the share was 51 percent to 48 percent in Gawlik’s favor.
Ballots in this race will be recounted if Gawlik’s lead remains under one half-percent.

Sunnyside
There was no change in one race for a seat on City Council. Incumbent Theresa Hancock maintained her lead over challenger Jason Raines, a substitute school teacher, on Monday by 65 votes.
The count stands at 688 to 623, in Hancock’s favor, or 52 percent to 47 percent.
Meanwhile, Don Vlieger, a motel  owner and former councilman, made a slight gain against incumbent Carol Stone. He had 662 votes — 10 more than Stone on Monday; on Friday, they were separated by only five votes.
Ballots in this race may be recounted if Vlieger’s lead slips under one half-percent. Currently, he has 49.7 percent of the vote compared to 49 percent for Stone.

Toppenish
Challenger Christina Kwan has taken the lead from incumbent Mark Oaks, who had been winning until late last week.
On Monday, Kwan, a social worker, had 320 votes to Oaks’ 289 votes, or 52 percent to 47 percent. Oaks, a captain in Yakima County Fire District 5, had been ahead of his challenger by eight votes Thursday.
Meanwhile, one race for a seat on the Toppenish School Board remained close.
Incumbent Richard Lommers remains ahead of challenger Anna Ward by 39 votes, with a slightly smaller lead than he held on election night.
The count now stands at 660 votes to 621, or 51 percent to 48 percent. Lommers had 52 percent of the vote on election night.

Yakima
KIT radio host Dave Ettl slightly widened his lead over Councilwoman Sonia Rodriguez. He was ahead by 701 votes on Monday, a 12-vote gain from Friday.
The count now stands at 9,032 to 8,331, or 52 percent for Ettl and 48 percent for Rodriguez.

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