Condon is Spokane’s mayor-elect
Lead grows to 2,699; Bill of Rights slipping
It’s safe to call David Condon Spokane’s mayor-elect.
Condon, the former deputy chief of staff for Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, claimed enough votes Thursday to make any last-minute, shocking comeback by Mayor Mary Verner unlikely.
On Thursday, in the third count of ballots, Condon’s lead grew to 2,699. He leads with 52.4 percent of the vote.
Although there are about 4,300 votes left in the city of Spokane, Verner would need to win more than 80 percent of those, and nothing in any previous counts indicates that’s possible.
Diane Rice, Verner’s daughter and her campaign spokeswoman, said the mayor plans to wait until Monday’s ballot count to decide if she will concede.
“We’re ever the optimists,” Rice said.
The ballots left to count are mostly those that had problems with their signatures or in the counting process, said Spokane County Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin. Countywide there are about 11,000 ballots left to count. No votes will be counted today because of Veterans Day.
Turnout was high for an odd-year election, with 56.9 percent of those receiving a ballot returning them. That’s the most for an odd-year since 1999.
Proposition 1, the Community Bill of Rights, fell in the third day of counting and now trails by 918 votes.
Meanwhile, the race for the Spokane City Council seat representing south Spokane inched closer. Mike Allen now leads incumbent Richard Rush by only 152 votes. But with only 1,800 ballots left to count, Rush is running out of ballots to make up the difference.
In Spokane Valley, Ben Wick made a significant leap in Thursday’s count, making a full sweep of the “Positive Change” slate less likely. His lead over Marilyn Cline is now nearly 300 votes with only 1,700 votes left to count.