Newcomer Rudy Picha has a commanding lead over current District 1 council member Rick Perez with 70.14% of the vote so far over Perez’s 29.86%. Picha is a local school teacher who ran on a slow growth platform set on curbing residential development and infrastructure improvements.
With 34.45% of the vote cast, Perez has garnered 504 votes to Picha’s 1,184.
“I will say that I am surprised. I thought that we were going to be a little bit more neck and neck. I think my messaging was pretty good,” Picha said in a phone call on Tuesday night.
