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Early election results for the Mountain View City Council race show IdaRose Sylvester has taken a decisive lead with Silja Paymer, Robert Cox and Erik Poicon neck-to-neck to fill a trio of seats up for grabs this year.
IdaRose Sylvester, who serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, has emerged as the frontrunner in the eight-candidate race, capturing 18.48% (5,666 votes), according to early results from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters released at 4:50 p.m. Wednesday.
There were tighter margins in returns for Los Altos High School teacher Silja Paymer and Mountain View’s Rental Housing Committee member Robert Cox who each picked up 15.65% (4,799 votes) and 15.35% (4,707 votes), respectively.
Erik Poicon, who serves on the city’s Human Relations Committee, is close on their heels with 14.5% (4,446 votes).
Paul Donahue, who serves on the city’s Environmental Planning Commission, has picked up 13.07% (4,009 votes) while James Kuszmaul, who serves on the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, has 11.06% (3,391 votes).
Trailing the pack are Alex Amoroso, a U.S. Army Reserve Officer, with 8.13% (2,493 votes) and Sam Ali, a security specialist, with 3.71% (1,138 votes).
Mountain View City Council candidate Silja Paymer attends an election watch party at the Democratic Volunteer Center in Mountain View on Nov. 3. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Mountain View City Council candidate Sam Ali checks his phone during an election watch party at the Democratic Volunteer Center in Mountain View on Nov. 3. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Mountain View City Council candidate Alex Amoroso attends an election watch party at the Democratic Volunteer Center in Mountain View on Nov. 3. Photo by Seeger Gray.
The initial election results drew excitement from Sylvester who was on her way to the Democratic Volunteer Center in Mountain View to celebrate at an election watch party Tuesday evening.
“I’m ecstatic,” she told the Voice. “It was a campaign by the people, for people and the community showed up for it.”
Paymer, who is currently the second top vote-getter, struck a cautious perspective about the early election results.
“I’m a scientist,” she said. “I assume nothing. There are still many votes to be counted and am waiting until tomorrow.” Paymer added that she was pleased with the outcome regardless, as her campaign drew attention to issues of street safety, especially for children.
Cox, who is currently in third place, also held a “wait-and-see” approach to the early election results.
“I am cautiously optimistic,” he told the Voice in a text message. “The margins between the candidates’ vote totals are very thin. It may be awhile before we can be sure who the winners are.”
Results will continue to come in throughout the rest of the week. The county certifies the results no later than one month after the election, followed by state certification on Dec. 11.
It has been eight years since Mountain View voters elected any new candidates to the dais. For the last three election cycles, the winning candidates have either been incumbents or former council members returning to elected office. With all three incumbents – Alison Hicks, Ellen Kamei and Lucas Ramirez – termed out this cycle, the turnover could lead to significant policy shifts next year.
On the campaign trail, the candidates focused on top voter concerns, including housing affordability, street safety, downtown revitalization, climate change and protecting the community from federal immigration enforcement.
It is likely the new council will weigh in on many of those issues. That includes Senate Bill 79, a state law that allows for denser housing to be built near major transit stops. Several of the candidates expressed support for the possibility of creating a “local alternative plan” to mitigate the impacts of SB 79.
The council will also likely focus on street parking for oversized vehicles. A legal settlement that ensures some protections for Mountain View’s vehicle residents is set to expire in February and it is an open question as to whether the City Council will crack down on oversized vehicles, similar to neighboring jurisdictions.
This election year was also notable for a massive injection of spending from outside groups. The National Association of Realtors shelled out nearly $80,000 to back the campaigns of Cox and Donahue, with the California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses Political Action Committee spending another roughly $17,300 on each candidate.
Meanwhile the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council dropped nearly $20,000 on Poicon.
The three candidates who are elected to the dais will join current City Council members Emily Ann Ramos, Chris Clark, John McAlister and Pat Showalter.
Visit the Voice’s website for initial election results of other local races and measures, which will be updated over the next several days.
I see 5,283 votes but I alone got 5 flies to vote for the three that was probably the $80k spent… We may not have Elon in our town but money seems to talk .