Excitement mounted at watch parties for city council candidates Leah Gold, Tim Meinken and Evelyn Mitchell at the Healdsburg Bar and Grill and Costeaux’s Bakery as returns started coming in around 8:30 p.m. after the polls closed on Election Day.
According to projections from the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, incumbent Leah Gold and council candidate Evelyn Mitchell appear to be the highest vote getters for the Healdsburg City Council two-seat race, with Gold coming out with 36.8 percent of the votes and Mitchell capturing 33.8 percent of the votes as of early Wednesday morning.
And while the official vote count won’t be final for another 30 days, friends, family and supporters of Gold and Mitchell were all smiles for the candidates who will likely be the two new city council members.
Gold said Tuesday evening she did not think the final decision would come down to the wire as incumbents usually have a slight advantage; however, she said she was happy about a win nonetheless.
“I am happy the voters returned me to the council for another full term and I think this is a very exciting dynamic period for the city of Healdsburg,” Gold said.
Over at Costeaux’s Bakery, celebratory drinks and decadent-looking pastries were handed out as Mitchell also celebrated her apparent win.
“I am beyond excited and thrilled. I declared in March and started knocking on doors in July so I’ve been working on this really hard, I have great support and I am thrilled,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell supporter, Johnny Drake said he too was excited about her apparent win.
“I am a big supporter of Mitchell, she has the community at heart and I think she will do a great job,” Drake said.
After polls closed on Tuesday evening and first precinct returns came, the race appeared close with Gold raking in 36. 2 percent of the votes, Mitchell snagging 34.6 percent and Meinken getting 29.1 percent.
As early Wednesday morning returns from the other four precincts started flowing in, it became apparent Gold and Mitchell would be the highest vote getters with Meinken trailing behind with 29.3 percent of the votes.
Meinken and his supporters had been eagerly watching the returns at the Healdsburg Bar and Grill and had seemed optimistic about their chances. The atmosphere was familial, hopeful and relaxed and plenty of beer, fried bacon and blue Meinken signs were being passed around.
Despite Gold and Mitchell’s leads, the crowd of Meinken supporters did not seem too downcast.
Meinken was hopeful. When asked how he was feeling after the first results came in he said, “I am still going to wait and see (what the results are)… but in the end the people of Healdsburg really care about their town (and that is great).”
Rhonda Bellmer, both a Meinken and Gold supporter, said she wasn’t too bummed about Meinken’s apparent loss, as she believes all of the candidates are “well tempered and balanced” for the city council seats.
Other Gold and Meinken supporters were hoping the two would take the council seats as many believed they would be a good pair, striking a good balance as council members.
“I like both Leah and Tim. Evelyn isn’t my type of candidate as she seems more interested in business and Tim and Leah seem like they could’ve really worked well together. Tim is a good guy,” said Carolyn Harrison, a longtime Healdsburg resident.
Harrison however did say she was happy about Gold.
“She is where I am among many of the issues (such as) the concern of being overrun by hotels,” Harrison remarked.
In regards to the second council seat, this will mark Mitchell’s first time serving in a publicly-elected office for city council.
Running on a platform of “giving back to the community” Mitchell hopes to focus on affordable housing through support of Measure P, which would allow for the construction of 50 multi-family rental units. Her council run will also focus on more parks and recreation and arts programs.
“I don’t want to be a politician, I want to work for this city and that is my whole point. The main thing I want to work towards is getting clear consensus within the council, work with city staff, utilizing everybody to the fullest and getting things done,” Mitchell said.
Running on a platform of “preserving Healdsburg,” Gold hopes to work towards making sure its small-town feel is preserved and that the city doesn’t become too overdeveloped. She also wants to look towards affordable housing, parking and road improvements as two of her continued goals.
“We really want to preserve Healdsburg but also adapt to change and that is really what I want to do during the next four years,” Gold said.
