Update: Candidates in Patterson mayoral, council races respond to results
The first round of election results showed a Patterson City Council Member in the lead for mayor and a tight race between District A candidates.
Council Member Dennis McCord garnered 54.6 percent of counted votes as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, preliminary results showed, while political newcomer Mark Miles and former mayor David Keller trailed behind with 23.4 and 22 percent respectively.
For City Council District A, which covers west Patterson, one of the first-time candidates led the other by five votes. Shawun Ruth Anderson was ahead of Shivaugn Alves 50.2% to 49.8%, according to the report released two-and-a-half hours after polls closed. Stanislaus County elections officials had yet to count ballots turned in on Tuesday.
McCord, Miles and Keller have campaigned to replace Mayor Deborah Novelli, who has held Patterson’s highest elected office since 2016. Novelli did not run for reelection, saying she wanted to focus on her career and family after 10 years on the council.
(See updated Stanislaus County results of all races)
Property manager Keller, 61, previously served as a Patterson council member from 1998 to 2004 and mayor for the next two years. McCord, 57, is in his sixth year as a council member and works as a teacher at Patterson High School. Miles, 53, is running for public office for the first time this year and is a quality assurance manager for Bronco Winery.
McCord held a virtual election night party on Zoom, while Keller and Miles said they planned to spend the nights with their families. By 10:30 p.m., election officials had counted about 4,800 total votes in the mayoral race.
“I am excited to see the election results and I look forward to working with the City Council and residents to make Patterson an even better place to live and work,” McCord said in a text to The Bee Wednesday. “Together we can find the solutions we need for Patterson.”
The mayor-elect will serve a two year term and the winner of the council race will serve for four years. The District C City Council seat was also up for election this year, but Council Member Dominic Farinha ran unopposed.
Outgoing District A Council Member Joshua Naranjo did not run for a second term. Anderson, 52, has worked as a community partners manager for the Girl Scouts for 23 years while Alves, 39, has worked for the Patterson Joint Unified School District for 15 years both in the classroom and district office.
Preliminary results of mail-in ballots showed 684 votes for Anderson and 679 for Alves. Elections officials can count vote-by-mail ballots through Nov. 20. In a phone interview Wednesday, Anderson said she is watching the voting count updates and looking forward to working with McCord on the council.
“Regardless of the ultimate outcome, I hope that I have inspired someone to stand up for what they hope to see in their community,” Alves said in an email Wednesday. “There are always local committees and groups doing good work, who need additional support and involvement. Go out there, and be the change you want to see!”
The county is expected to release updated election results on Friday.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 9:43 PM.
