Cordova trails Robles for Terrace Council

Out of all three contested seats on Mountlake Terrace City Council, only one incumbent will be returning for sure.

Mountlake Terrace voters decided to send political newcomer Michelle Robles to fill Mayor Pat Cordova’s seat on City Council. A second contested race, between incumbent A.J. Housler and John Zambrano, is too close to tell, as votes are separated by less than one percent. Only one incumbent, Laura Sonmore, will be returning to her seat as of the Enterprise’s deadline.

Results the morning after Election Day show Robles with 57.97 percent of the vote and Cordova with 41.75 percent.

Cordova declined to comment on the results of the race, but said she has been honored to serve Mountlake Terrace citizens.

“The citizens have spoken,” Cordova said Wednesday morning, a day after the Nov. 4 election. “I have been proud to serve them for 16 years.”

Robles, a pharmacy manager at the Bartell Drugs store in Mountlake Terrace, is a long-time resident and member of the city’s planning commission. She was pleased by the voter results, yet said it felt a little strange to be defeating a long-time council incumbent.

“I had hoped for this result, but I am a little surprised,” Robles said. “It is strange when you are running against a 16-year incumbent.”

Robles said voters were ready for a change. She added that Cordova has done a good job for 16 years, but over the last few years she has seen the City Council struggling. Robles said she would spend time making sure the council works together and spends their time on important issues.

“I would like to see Mountlake Terrace make the paper other than for our council meetings being chaotic,” Robles said.

The Housler-Zambrano race was very close Wednesday morning. Zambrano took the lead with 50.08 percent of votes, and Housler followed with 49.63 percent.

“I think the voters are saying they want a change in leadership, but since I am a brand-new person, they are not real comfortable with a challenger,” Zambrano said. “They are looking for stronger leadership, which is a trend in races throughout the state.”

Housler said he is not surprised by the votes, and considers himself out of the race. He felt he held up against the odds, considering there are two factions in the city of Mountlake Terrace and he does not belong to either one.

“I was trying to represent all of the people, where these factions represent some of the people,” Housler said. “I guess it is very difficult to try and be an independent.”

Housler said if he won by a narrow margin, he would resign. He does not want to be a part of a political system where factions mandated by “hate and fear” exist.

“If you want to know the truth, if I won by a very slim margin I would resign anyway,” Housler said.

Sonmore, an incumbent, had 55.89 percent of votes while Eric Teegarden had 43.90 percent.

Sonmore, a long-time resident who works for Boeing in skills management, was pleased with the results.

“I think I have the hometown advantage of being everybody’s neighbor,” Sonmore said. “I have such wonderful neighbors, I think of them as my main supporters.”

Sonmore added that she thinks the voters understand that she weighs the pros and cons of every issue. She also said her top priorities will be developing a new communication plan for the community, as well as furthering the new civic center and fire station plans.

Teegarden, Sonmore’s challenger and a recent Mountlake Terrace resident, said he made a real effort, but acknowledged that incumbents often have an advantage.

“I am the outsider,” Teegarden said. “I can honestly say I have done everything I possibly can.”

Teegarden said he believes his disadvantage is that he is a newcomer to the area. However, he said the campaign has been a learning experience for him, and he plans on running for a City Council position again in the future.