More than half of Islanders voted in the November general election, which featured five races for the City Council, three for the School Board, a levy to give King County kids a better start in life and a measure limiting the state’s ability to raise taxes.
Two incumbents – Bruce Bassett and Debbie Bertlin – were returned to the Mercer Island City Council in Positions No. 5 and 7. Newcomer Dave Wisenteiner edged out incumbent Jane Meyer Brahm for Position No. 1, Wendy Weiker beat her opposition for open Position No. 3 and essentially uncontested Jeff Sanderson won Position No. 4 by a landslide.
Despite losing their races, Thomas Acker and Salim Nice, proponents for responsible growth and “residents before region,” as well as Traci Granbois, whose campaign focused on improving transparency at City Hall, said that the election was a “win” for Mercer Island.
“Obviously, the results are not exactly what I and 44 percent of voting Islanders had hoped for,” Granbois said. “However, I am hopeful that Islanders will continue to stay involved and provide constructive feedback to our Council on a continual basis, not just during election season.”
Acker said that the election helped educate many Islanders on important issues.
“While some may feel their candidates weren’t elected, the council shifted positions on all of the critical issues since the beginning of the campaign season, [including] bus intercept, tolling, and developer concessions,” he said.
Nice said that the Council “needs to seriously elicit input from all the citizens of this Island” on density, growth, and transportation.
Wisenteiner said that campaigning was “a fantastic chance to meet so many Islanders and start to understand what people really want, what they like and what they are frustrated with.”
Brahm, who had served on the Council since 2011, said that “there’s never been a time in the history of the Island when so many complex and challenging issues have come to the fore at the same time” and wishes the best for the Council in the years to come.
“I learned so much campaigning and appreciated that Salim Nice and I shared the common vision of keeping MI exceptional now and for future Islanders,” Weiker said.
Bertlin said the election reaffirmed “how engaged, intelligent and constructive Islanders are.”
“Undoubtedly this was one of the most robust election seasons in many years and it’s great to have had so many issues aired and often deeply debated,” Bertlin said. “I will continue on our historic path of balancing our unique geographic needs as an Island with our role as a responsible regional partner.”
Bassett said he is also focused on the future, noting the ongoing Town Center visioning process and transportation negotiations with Sound Transit, WSDOT and Metro.
“I am confident that now, with the election behind us, Mercer Islanders will do what we do best – come together, share our diverse voices, and collaborate to address the challenges before us,” Bassett said.
Now “is the time to get down to business and help create the Mercer Island we all want,” Sanderson said.
“Regardless of the final winners, this election was indeed a mandate: a mandate for better governance,” he said.
Preliminary results posted at 8:15 p.m. on election night, Nov. 3, showed that less than 30 percent of Islanders had voted.
At Reporter deadline, 9,212 ballots had been returned out of 17,444 eligible registered voters on Mercer Island, or about 53 percent. In the 2011 election, 60 percent of the Island voted.
For the Mercer Island School Board, Tracy Drinkwater leads the race for the School Board Position No. 3, receiving about 60 percent of the votes, followed by Bill Hochberg with 40 percent.
Positions No. 1 and 5 will be filled by David D’Souza and Ralph Jorgenson, who ran unopposed.
For Metropolitan King County Council District No. 6, Bellevue mayor Claudia Balducci is leading incumbent Jane Hague by about 60 percent to 40 percent.
King County Proposition No. 1, the Best Starts for Kids levy, is passing with 55.85 percent voting ‘yes.’
Tim Eyman’s I-1366, which would require a two-thirds “supermajority” of each house in the state Legislature to raise revenue, passed in 35 of the state’s 39 counties despite legal questions. It was rejected in King County.
Election results will be certified on Nov. 24.
Election results (*as of Nov. 9)
School Board
Position No. 1
David D’Souza: 5,392 votes- 99.23 percent
Position No. 3
Tracy Drinkwater: 4,387 votes- 60.34 percent
Bill Hochberg: 2,878 votes- 39.58 percent
Position No. 5
Ralph Jorgenson: 5,387 votes- 99.26 percent
City Council
Position No. 1
Dave Wisenteiner: 4,009 votes – 52.56 percent
Jane Meyer Brahm: 3,610 votes- 47.33 percent
Position No. 3
Wendy Weiker: 4,097 votes- 54.01 percent
Salim Nice: 3,482 votes- 45.91 percent
Position No. 4
Jeff Sanderson: 6,166 votes- 92.82 percent
Carl Silverberg: 400 votes- 6.02 percent
Position No. 5
Bruce Bassett: 4,268 votes- 54.93 percent
Thomas Acker: 3,494 votes- 44.97 percent
Position No. 7
Debbie Bertlin: 4,256 votes- 55.72 percent
Traci Granbois: 3,372 votes- 44.15 percent
Metropolitan King County Council
District No. 6
Claudia Balducci: 25,118 votes- 59.78 percent
Jane Hague: 16,825 votes – 40.04 percent
