On December 2, what is believed to be the final unofficial  vote count for the November 4 election was posted by Contra Costa County. The results for Richmond City Council and Measure T were essentially unchanged, but I slipped to third place, 632 votes behind Jeff Ritterman and 7 votes behind Nat Bates.

Another interesting statistic: I was the top vote getter in vote by mail and provisional ballots while Ritterman and Bates prevailed with election day voters. Someone must know what this means, but I don’t.

Measure T remained a winner with 15,473 (51.51%) yes and 14,563 (14.563%) no.

Based on the total votes on Measure T, there were approximately 30,036 people who voted in Richmond.

It confounds me that only 40% of voters supported even the top vote getter, Ritterman, and only about 37% supported Bates or me. Even though Bates and I emerged as winners in a field of ten, 63% of all voters did not vote for Bates and 63% did not vote for me. This appears to be indicative of the significant political diversity of Richmond voters. The majority of Richmond voters apparently feel that other candidates could better represent them – not a very comforting feeling for a City Council member.

While I personally like and respect Nat Bates and agree with him on some important issues, we have been, over time, probably the two most politically polar opposites on the City Council, yet voters chose the two of us over seven other candidates, including two other incumbents. Were they looking for balance, or are there at least two fundamentally polarized political factions in Richmond?

I frequently and consistently hear from people who like what I am doing, but I almost never hear from people who are critical. I wish there were a mechnism to hear from those 63% who believe someone other than I would better represent them and why. This would sure help me do a better job.

At any rate, half of the two contenders I endorsed won, and two thirds of the candidates I voted for won, including myself. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome of this election, and I think the people of Richmond will appreciate the new City Council they have selected. I am optimistic that the new Council will form a good working relationship and be a positive force for the City of Richmond.

The summary chart below was provided courtesy of Don Gosney: