County Executive Marc Elrich was successful in his bid for an At-Large seat on the County Council. He is currently the top vote-getter with 45,124. The next three may join him as nominees on the November ballot: Laurie-Anne Sayles -38,111, Scott Evan Goldberg – 36,623, and Fatmata Barrie – 32,220, as of Wednesday.
During his weekly press briefing, Elrich said, “I’m deeply appreciative of all those who supported me in my At-Large bid. It feels nice to be in the position I’m in. I’m grateful for the support I had and the trust the voters have placed in my ability to serve our county, which is something I take very seriously, and I never take it for granted”.
In congratulating the candidates who have secured their nominations for the general election ahead, Elrich described the county’s unique diversity of race, gender, religion as a “pretty complete panorama of people who represent the county at different levels. This election continues that.”
The County Executive Race
The county executive race, which currently has Will Jawando ahead of Andrew Friedson, with Evan Glass trailing in third, was also a topic. When asked what it would mean if Jawando held on and won, Elrich responded,” A more honest alternative than the other alternatives out there. I have worked with all three of them. I honestly think Will’s commitment to the kind of work this county does, particularly equity and broad equity in all we do, is more likely represented by him. He’s been a strong supporter of communities. Everybody is going to have to deal with the tax issue”.
In the current vote count, Jawando leads Friedson by nearly 7,000 votes. Friedson’s campaign hopes a strong mail-in ballot count will turn the tide in his favor. Canvassing of mail-in ballots will resume on Thursday and Saturday this week.
According to Board of Elections Public Relations Director Dr. Gilberto Zelaya, “We will be counting for the next two weeks. Plus, we will need to allow 10 days for timely mail-in ballots date stamped June 23 to arrive.”
