Elections - wrapping up

By Diane Hettrick

The elections won't be certified until November 25, but the numbers are holding. 

The only surprise in the last week was the large increase in the spread between Josh Rosenau and Jon Lebo in Lake Forest Park.

Kenmore City Council

Joe Marshall continued his lead with 26 votes over Tracy Banaszynski. 

Oliver Moffat dug into the details and reports there are 9 “curable” ballots with bad signatures and 15 ballots where the voter voted for both Tracy and Joe. The 9 ballots are not enough to tip the balance.

However, at 26 votes, that will trigger a machine recount because it’s less than 0.5% of ballots. But will NOT trigger a hand recount.

Lake Forest Park

City Council - Josh Rosenau has won a seat on the city council, retiring incumbent Jon Lebo.

Prop. 1 loses to the No votes by 25 votes.

There are 18 “curable” ballots and at least 18 voters who voted for both “Yes” and “No.” Not enough to tip the balance.

Statement from the City of Lake Forest Park:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent election and community discussion about police and public safety services. The measure did not pass, and our City Council will begin reviewing options and discussing necessary cuts to align with available funding. Learn more here

We encourage residents to stay informed and engaged as budget decisions are discussed. Your participation is important as we work together to maintain a safe, well-served community with the resources available.

If you would like to follow the budget process, sign-up for newsflash alerts, visit our budget webpage, or attend upcoming City Council meetings.

Statement from the LFP Strong Pro Committee

“Thank you to all the people who supported Prop 1 and all those who worked hard for its passage. By just a couple dozen votes — just 25 currently — our campaign to sustain a strong and safe LFP with adequate taxes fell short.

"Lake Forest Park will again be limited to a 1% increase in property tax revenue while the actual costs of government, especially public safety costs, will increase much more.

"We are encouraged that 49.8% of LFP voters understand that is a poor way to protect the community and the community services we love, and are concerned that we will have to cut services or drain our savings to balance future budgets.”