Newly elected city councilman Roy Runyon issued the following press release:
“For Immediate Release:
“Roy Runyon, candidate for Bremerton’s City Council District 4 seat decisively defeated Carlos Jara during the November 6th general election. From his many
conversations with fellow citizens, Mr. Runyon developed a relevant, realistic platform which gained him the endorsement of a clear majority of voters. Mr. Runyon feels that to be chosen by one’s fellow citizens to represent them is a great honor and a serious responsibility.“Mr. Runyon’s near-term priorities are as follows: Provide tax relief to homeowners at the 80% medium income level; repair critical infrastructure (streets) financed through a citizen-approved car tab fee increase along with existing Real Estate Excise Taxes (REET); reform aspects of the City’s parking policy to make parking more user friendly for residents, business patrons and downtown employees and; lobby the legislature and the DOT for an accelerated replacement schedule for the Manette Bridge.
“The biggest challenge facing Mr. Runyon as a councilman will be rounding up enough support from other councilmen to get his priorities acted upon.
Runyon, as of late Tuesday has 54.6 percent (253) of the votes, while Jara has 44.5 percent (206). There were four write-in votes.
With all due respect to the council member-elect, who should be proud of his victory… Most political scientists would not consider a 54-46 race “decisive” and “clear majority.” Those terms should be reserved for Port Orchard Mayor-Elect Lary Coppola, who received 70 percent of the vote.
A landslide is defined as a ten-point spread — or at least 55% of the vote –in a large contest. The particular district in question is the smallest in population among the nine council districts. It’s relatively easy for detractors to blow off the results as not representing the majority of citizens at-large.
The council member-elect should be applauded for pro-actively announcing his goals for his term. His best bet now would be to take his case to his fellow council members. As he mentioned in his press release, the biggest challenge is to round up five votes among the nine member council.