ENCINITAS — Mayoral candidate Tony Kranz and District 1 candidate Allison Blackwell conceded their races roughly 72 hours after Tuesday’s general election as updated ballot counts showed their opponents maintaining substantial leads.
Kranz, the outgoing mayor of Encinitas, acknowledged his defeat to District 4 Councilmember Bruce Ehlers after the latest totals extended Ehlers’ lead by 114 votes. Ehlers received 13,500 votes, or 52.42%, while Kranz secured 12,255 votes, or 47.58%.
“So, it’s time to express my congratulations to him for becoming the mayor-elect of the City of Encinitas, and I wish him well in guiding the future of the city we all love,” Kranz said in a public statement. “Losing an election is never fun. But the process of campaigning is a wonderful way of getting to know the beautiful people who make up our community, all of whom have been key to providing the true and special character of Encinitas.”
He added, “And, of course, I’m not going anywhere. I grew up here, and I’m looking forward to seeing you around town as always. I have several projects that I will be sharing more about in future newsletters.”
In the District 1 race, Blackwell also conceded, acknowledging that her opponent, Luke Shaffer, is projected to win after jumping out to a nearly 1,000-vote lead.
“Thank you to all supporters who stood by my side and gave their time and energy to my campaign for Encinitas City Council,” Blackwell wrote in her message. “I am eternally grateful. I congratulate Luke Shaffer on the win, and I wish him well as he works to represent District 1 on the City Council. I have offered him my support in strengthening our community.”
Blackwell assured residents that her commitment to the community would continue beyond the campaign.
“It’s been my honor to serve on the Encinitas City Council,” she said. “I remain in love with Encinitas and plan to stay engaged in addressing issues that matter to our community. Stay tuned… there’ll be some great things ahead.”
District 2 candidate Destiny Preston, trailing Jim O’Hara by nearly 600 votes, told The Coast News she would “wait until all votes are counted and the final results are certified before making any statements.”
As of Nov. 9, O’Hara currently leads with 3,218 votes, or 55.13%, over Preston’s 2,619 votes (44.87%), according to the Registrar of Voters.
A special City Council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10 to certify the election results and swear in the new council members.
Update: As of 9:50 p.m. on Nov. 10, O’Hara leads with 3,509 votes, and Preston has 2,863 votes. According to the Registrar of Voters, 920 votes remain to be counted from a total of 7,292 ballots cast in District 2. A spreadsheet with the vote totals for each candidate in every race is available here.
4 comments
Most telling is the wide margin in D1, against an incumbent. Not coincidentally, D1 has been bearing the brunt of several state-mandated or state-enabled congestion-generating projects. (The other districts will soon get their turn.)
What I appreciated most about this election was the refreshing change from the typical “pick your poison” / “lesser of two evils” we too often see in partisan politics. I endorsed all three winning candidates because I like their openness, integrity, and commitment to our community. All we heard from Preston was what a “good Democrat” she is. This Sir Joseph Porter attitude of, “I always voted at my party’s call, and I never thought of thinking for myself at all,” doesn’t impress independents and swing voters such as myself, let alone Republicans and pro-neighborhood, rather than pro-developer, Democrats.
Maybe Preston forgot which City she is running in?
Back to The Emerge female only candidate mill.
The candidate’s conceding remarks are most welcome.
But time to move on for the former leadership team. The residents and voters don’t look forward to any future projects or buttinsky engagement from the past mayor or council.
Let the new council and mayor soar to new heights, the very reason they won the election. The voters mandate for change is clear.
Congratulations Bruce and Luke!
Destiny’s refusal to concede is indicative of an immature and spiteful candidate.
Destiny will lose this race, but not graciously, like her co candidates have done. Then she will disappear back to wherever she appeared from, which was not Encinitas.
If and wherever she decides to run next, and if she learned anything, she’ll hopefully remember to learn the issues and engage with ALL the residents. An added bonus would be that she really cared about the community she plans to represent.
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