EMERYVILLE—Voters here chose to stick with what they know Tuesday, re-electing all three incumbent city council candidates and reauthorizing a measure that pays for city services ranging from police and fire departments to sewer repairs.EMERYVILLE—Voters here chose to stick with what they know Tuesday, re-electing all three incumbent city council candidates and reauthorizing a measure that pays for city services ranging from police and fire departments to sewer repairs.

Vice Mayor Ruth Atkin received 800 votes for a first-place finish in Tuesday’s off-year election. She was narrowly trailed by Councilmember Ken Bukowski, who received 875 votes, and Mayor Nora Davis with 855 votes. Challenger Shilen Patel, an environmental consultant, posed the greatest threat to the councilmembers, finishing with a respectable 748 votes; the only other challenger, Thordie Ashley, a retired nurse and the oldest candidate at 84, finished last with just 170 votes. The vote totals exclude some absentee and provisional ballots that have not yet been counted.

Voters also approved Measure A, which reauthorizes a 5.5 percent utility tax to pay for city services, including police, fire, recreation programs, senior-citizen support, child care, flood control, street beautification and sewer repairs. The measure, which brings in an estimated $2.4 million annually, passed with 86 percent of the votes.

Bukowski said Wednesday he is thrilled with his win and is happy to work with the same group of people for his new term, his sixth on the city council.

“I think we’ve done a good job, and I’m very pleased with my work in the past,” he said in a phone interview from his home in Emeryville, where he’s lived for the past 30 years. A retired nightclub owner first elected to the city council 20 years ago, Bukowski said winning feels great. “It certainly feels better than losing,” he said.

Bukowski said he will complete a revision of Emeryville’s general plan and continue to “make the city a great place to live.”

Patel, who missed securing a city council seat by about 3 percent of the votes, said he will remain active in Emeryville’s government, despite the loss. “The election was very close and very exciting,” he said in a phone interview.

Before he ran for Emeryville City Council, Patel worked for the city of Richmond. He moved to Emeryville from San Francisco in July 2006. He said he will take time off work to travel before deciding whether to run for office again. “I will stay involved and active,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate outcome, but I’m very excited for the future.”

There are about 4,000 registered voters in the city of Emeryville, according to city clerk Karen Hemphill, but only 1,200 ballots were cast Tuesday — a 30 percent turn-out. Nevertheless, Hemphill said voters’ passage of Measure A was overwhelming. “It’s pretty amazing,” she said with a laugh. But employees who answered the phones at Emeryville’s police and fire stations Wednesday reported having no knowledge of Measure A, which provides funding to both departments.

And though some absentee and provisional ballots won’t be officially counted for two weeks, the final results should remain the same, Hemphill said.

“It’s highly unlikely there will be a change in election winners,” she said, adding that
the three city council incumbents will likely retain their seats, although the final results may order them differently than do the preliminary numbers.

Runner-up Patel said he isn’t counting on a win. “I’m waiting for the final count to be certified,” he said. “I think it’s going to get closer but don’t think the order will change.”

Instead, Patel will ensure his opponents’ campaign promises are met, he said. “I look forward to working with all of them,” he said.

All three incumbents are long-time Emeryville residents. John Fricke and Richard Kassis, both elected in 2005, comprise the rest of the council; their terms expire in 2009.

Talia Kennedy is a student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Reach her at tmkennedy@berkeley.edu.