Contests tighten, new leaders emerge with election tally

EVERETT — New front-runners emerged and several races tightened after Wednesday’s ballot count in the 2021 general election.

In Mill Creek, challenger Eric Cooke grabbed a seven-vote lead on City Councilman Brian Holtzclaw after trailing by 18 votes on election night.

Holtzclaw, who also serves as mayor, was first elected to the council in 2013. Cooke is a tax collector for the state Department of Revenue.

Councilman Adam Morgan saw his lead over Melissa Duque shrink to 28 votes from 82 votes. Morgan was appointed last fall to succeed Mike Todd, and the winner will serve the last two years of Todd’s term. Duque beat Morgan by 21 votes in the August primary.

In Stanwood, one of the closest contests in that election saw a change in the leader board.

City Councilman Rob Johnson moved in front of challenger Dani Gaumond by 18 votes after he trailed her by two votes on Tuesday. Johnson, a former state representative, is pursuing a third term on the council.

A battle for a seat on the Darrington Town Council tightened, as well.

Julie Ford is leading Robert Requa, 126 votes to 118. He trailed by 14 votes in the first count.

In Lake Stevens, incumbent City Councilmember Gary Petershagen continued to hold a slim lead over challenger Joyce Copley, while Councilmember Marcus Tageant gained breathing room in his duel with Joseph Jensen.

Petershagen’s lead grew to 48 votes, up from 28 on Tuesday. Tageant was in front by 209 votes, an improvement from the 186 on Election Night.

In Lynnwood, Shirley Sutton lost a little ground in her duel with Nick Coelho for a council seat. She had a 21-vote lead, down from 33 on Tuesday. Sutton is trying to get back on the council, where she previously served one term. Both she and Coelho lost their bids for the council in 2019.

As of Wednesday, turnout was nearing 24.3% of the county’s roughly 508,000 registered voters. Election officials said roughly 60,000 ballots remain to be processed and tabulated.

The next update of results will be posted Thursday afternoon.

Jerry Cornfield: jcornfield@heraldnet.com; 360-352-8623; Twitter: @dospueblos.