With two of four precincts reporting, it appears if Mireya Turner and Stacey Mattina have secured seats on the Lakeport City Council.
Three candidates were running for two positions. Mattina was seeking reelection and had been endorsed by Tom Engstrom, who was vacating his seat on the council. At press time, 437 (37.3 percent) votes had been counted in Mattina”s favor. Turner claimed 447 (38.1 percent) votes to Michael Balentine”s 288.
Mattina, originally elected in 2010, appeared to be assured reelection, if visible public support in advance of Nov. 4 were an accurate measure. Mattina captured 21.6 percent of the vote in 2010, emerging with the most in a crowded field. Engstrom accumulated the second largest amount, garnering 18 percent that year. Mattina”s years in local real estate and public service aided her cause.
Turner likewise benefitted from vocal and visible backing. She is the assistant planner for the county. Balentine has been a Lakeport resident for 25 years and is a founding member of the Westside Community Park Committee.
The council race, however, was subsumed by the back and forth debates generated by Measure S, Measure O and Measure P. These bills, dealing with the health of Clear Lake and the breadth of marijuana grow areas, attracted far more public attention in the weeks leading up to election day.
The final tally will be announced in the coming days, as the registrar”s office counts remaining mail and absentee ballots.
