It’s now official: Brandvold wins runoff for Modesto mayor

The Stanislaus County elections office has certified the results of Modesto’s Feb. 2 mayoral runoff election: Challenger Ted Brandvold has defeated incumbent Garrad Marsh.

The office reported Brandvold received 15,455 votes, or 58 percent, and Marsh received 11,037 votes, or 42 percent. But Marsh conceded on election night, when he was trailing by about 4,000 votes.

Marsh will be given the opportunity to make final remarks as mayor before Brandvold is sworn in at the City Council’s Feb. 23 meeting. Brandvold joins a seven-member council in which the majority of members were elected in November. Kristi Ah You, Doug Ridenour and Mani Grewal were elected then. Council members Jenny Kenoyer, Tony Madrigal and Bill Zoslocki were elected in November 2013.

Marsh and Brandvold were among five mayoral candidates in the Nov. 3 election. Marsh was the top candidate, with 39 percent of the vote. Brandvold was second with 30 percent. The two were in the runoff because no one received more than 50 percent of the vote. The runoff was conducted by mail, with ballots going out in early January and voting ending Feb. 2.

The elections office reported 26,532 of the city’s 91,373 registered voters cast ballots in the runoff election, for a 29 percent turnout. That was slightly higher than the 25.9 percent turnout for the November mayoral election.

Brandvold, 56, is a former planning commissioner; an architect; and owner of Commercial Architecture.

The mayor and council members serve four year terms. The mayor is paid $43,200 annually, and council members are paid $24,000.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 2:42 PM with the headline "It’s now official: Brandvold wins runoff for Modesto mayor."