Appointed Vancouver City Councilor Laurie Lebowsky will advance to the general election and defend her seat against Sarah Fox, according to Tuesday’s election returns.
Mary Elkin finished a distant third in a five-way race despite the backing of Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Mayor Pro Tem Bart Hansen.
Lebowsky earned nearly 42 percent of the vote; Fox got nearly 32 percent. More results will be released Wednesday.
“It’s very humbling and an honor to know I have their support and it makes me want to continue on city council serving our citizens,” Lebowsky said.
She said running a campaign while serving on the council for the first time came with quite the learning curve, but she’s learned to compartmentalize the two roles.
“Quite frankly as a new candidate … I did not know what to expect,” Lebowsky added. “All I knew is I had to run my race and run a good race and be respectful. The bottom line for me was as long as I stick to my values, I’ve already won.”
Fox said she was just as surprised as anyone by Tuesday’s results and had no idea what to expect.
“I was joking going into the night saying, ‘I’ve got six votes!'” Fox said, referring to each call she made to voters who said they would support her in the primary. “It’s just an honor to be endorsed by so many people.”
Moving forward, Fox said it’s time to ramp up her outreach and make sure everyone in the community knows who she is. Lebowsky said she’s going to plan the same ongoing community outreach as she moves forward.
“I’m disappointed … but I don’t regret running,” Elkin said. “I’ve connected even more with the community and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Fox was also a finalist for the position back in February when Lebowsky was appointed. The seat, position 1, was filled via appointment after Scott Campbell was elected posthumously. Appointees have to run for office in the next election to fill the remainder of their terms. Position 1 has three years left on its term.
The race drew five candidates total, including Elkin, who was also a finalist in February, Maureen McGoldrick, who lost to Campbell in 2017, and newcomer Adam Shetler.
