VISTA — District 2 candidate and business owner Jeff Fox has officially secured the Vista City Council seat representing the Vista Civic Center, Vista Valley, and the Main Street area of downtown Vista, with a decisive 27-point lead over opponent Anthony White, according to the Registrar of Voters’ most recent results.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Fox’s lead of over 2,281 votes exceeds the 993 ballots that remain to be counted, meaning that he has officially won the seat.
In a statement on social media on Monday, Fox thanked the voters and his opponent for running a respectful campaign.
“With the latest count, I have enough votes to guarantee victory. I am deeply honored by the trust you’ve placed in me to serve on our City Council. Thank you to all of our hard working volunteers, supporters, and to our Vista community. I’m excited to get to work for our city, and I’m committed to making Vista a place where everyone can thrive,” Fox said.
White, a Marine veteran and activist, congratulated Fox on his win Monday and thanked the community for their support. White said that he is still committed to advocating for the city.
“Running for City Council has been an incredible journey, and I’m deeply grateful for the support, dedication, and energy so many of you showed throughout this campaign. Although the results weren’t what we hoped for, I’m proud of what we accomplished together and honored to have been a part of this community effort,” White said.
Current District 2 Councilmember Joe Green did not run for re-election after eight years on the council.
In the closely-watched District 3 race, incumbent Councilmember Katie Melendez has received over 54.43% of the vote compared to challenger and business owner Denisse Barragan’s 45.57%. District 3 represents Breeze Hill, West Vista Village, Melrose and Grapevine.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Melendez leads by 599 votes, and 870 ballots remain to be counted in the race, meaning the race cannot be called yet.
The next round of updated results will be available from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters on Wednesday evening
Vista Unified School District board
Retired teacher Sue Martin has secured the Area 5 seat on the Vista Unified board with a 3,000-vote lead over business owner Anthony “TJ” Crossman. Martin will replace incumbent Julie Kelly, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
The Area 4 race remains a close call between incumbent Cipriano Vargas, who has served on the board since 2016, and challenger Frank Nuñez.
Vargas initially trailed slightly behind Nuñez, a small business owner and parent, but has since gained a 208-vote lead. Parent Zulema Gomez remains in third place with around 24% of the vote.
With 1,039 votes still to be counted in this race, no winner can be declared yet.
In the Area 1 race, parent Mike Markov is leading with 52% of the vote, followed by parent and small business owner Amanda Remmen with 48%, a difference of 435 votes. Just under 2,000 votes remain to be counted in the race.
Area 1 incumbent Rosemary Smithfield is stepping down at the end of the year.
