Tim Callison remains ahead in the race for Langley mayor as are the two Whidbey General Hospital incumbents seeking reelection to the board, according to the latest ballot count.
The Island County Auditor’s Office released updated general election results Wednesday evening. Callison had 275 votes, or 54 percent, compared to challenger Sharon Emerson’s 234 votes, or 46 percent. Callison’s 41-vote lead is three votes less than his 44-vote lead on election night.
In the hospital commissioner races, Georgia Gardner is still way ahead of Rob Born in their contest for position 2. Gardner has 8,177 votes, 60 percent, to Born’s 5,520, or 40 percent.
The bid for position 4 is much more narrow. Nancy Fey has maintained her lead over Erika Carnahan, claiming 50.69 percent of the vote, or 5,585 votes. Carnahan has 49.31 percent, or 5,433 — a difference of 152 votes.
In other Whidbey races, Bob Severns is handily beating Jim Campbell for Oak Harbor mayor — both are city councilmen — with 62 percent of the vote, or 2,004 votes. Campbell has 38 percent, or 1,213. Mayor Scott Dudley did not seek reelection.
Coupeville also has a new mayor, Molly Hughes. The town councilwoman ran uncontested and brought in 518 votes. She will replace longtime Mayor Nancy Conard, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Back to Langley, the city council will have a new face with the election of Ursula Shoudy. She ran unopposed for position 3, the seat currently occupied by Jim Sundberg. He did not seek reelection. Shoudy got 293 votes.
City Council incumbents Bruce Allen and Robin Black both ran unopposed for additional terms, though Black is expected to resign at the end of the year if Callison maintains his lead; Black is his wife, and she promised to step down if he was elected to settle concerns voiced during the campaign of a potential conflict of interest.
According to the Auditor’s Office, 19,855 ballots have been counted countywide so far. An estimated 1,300 are left to count. There are 50,531 registered voters in Island County, which equals a voter turnout of 39 percent, the office reported.
The next ballot count is expected to be released today at 5:30 p.m. The final election results will be certified Nov. 24.
