A close Lynnwood council race gets closer with latest tally

EVERETT — A tight three-person race for a Lynnwood City Council seat got even tighter following another round of ballot counting Wednesday.

And the leader board changed too.

Councilman Patrick Decker, who led the contest for Position 2 on Election Night, remained in front as Naz Lashgari moved up to second and former mayor Don Gough dropped to third.

Decker, who was appointed to the post earlier this year, had 1,610 votes followed by Lashgari with 1,592 and Gough with 1,590. The 20-vote margin between first and third is even closer than Tuesday when it was 86 votes.

In Mukilteo, there was a change in the leaders in the contest for Position 3 on the City Council.

Steve Schmalz, a former two-term council member, sustained his lead with 39.0% as Alex Crocco and Carolyn “Dode” Carlson are battling for second and a spot on the November ballot. Carlson, who trailed Crocco on Election Night, moved in front of him by 23 votes with the latest tally.

In Mill Creek, a new leader emerged in the contest between Councilman Adam Morgan and challenger Melissa Duque. Both will advance to the general election but which can claim victory in the primary is still to be determined.

Duque, who trailed by six votes on Election Night, moved in front by 16 votes on Wednesday. She collected 1,569 votes, or 48.3% while Morgan, who was appointed to his seat in October, garnered 1,553 votes, or 47.8%. Sharon Warren is third with 3.7%.

In Edmonds, incumbent Councilwoman Kristiana Johnson has lost nearly all her lead on challenger Alicia Crank. Johnson had just a seven-vote advantage on Crank Wednesday after going to bed on Election Night leading by 193 votes. Both women are assured of advancing to a November showdown.

Two sitting office-holders are in danger of losing their primaries and not advancing to the general election.

Edmonds City Councilman Luke Distelhorst remained a distant third as he seeks to retain the seat to which he was appointed last fall.

Janelle Cass, a business owner and military veteran, continued to lead the four-person race for Position 2 with 32.2%, followed by Will Chen, an Edmonds-based accountant, with 29.3%. Distelhorst had 22.7% and Lora Petso, a former City Council member had 15.8%.

Meanwhile, Brian Kesler, who was appointed to the Lake Stevens School District Board of Directors last fall, is sitting in third following the latest results.

Nina Kim Johnson is winning the contest for the District 4 seat with 39.8%. Brett Rogers, who works for the Seattle Police Department and ran unsuccessfully for state Attorney General in 2020, is second with 32.12% followed by Kesler, a retired teacher and coach, at 27.6%. Kesler trails Rogers by 282 votes.

With Wednesday’s tally, voter turnout countywide stood at just under 22%. It ranged from a high of roughly 40% for a Port of Edmonds race to a low of 16.4% in Granite Falls.

Snohomish County Auditor Garth Fell reported 24,800 ballots are left to count. The next update of results will be posted at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Jerry Cornfield: jcornfield@heraldnet.com; @dospueblos