I would be very surprised if Mark Sorensen surpasses Larry Wahl for the fourth and final open seat on the Chico City Council.
Right now Sorensen is behind Wahl by 328 votes.
Most people I know – Democrats, Republicans, and independents – are rooting for Sorensen because he’ll bring a fresh perspective.
Nevertheless, Sorensen appears to have run a mild campaign. It’s surprising given that he barely lost two years ago and should have been hungrier to win this time.
He should have walked every neighborhood during the past year to meet as many voters one-on-one as he could.
Even though Mayor Andy Holcombe and Vice-Mayor Ann Schwab took some hits from Rick Keene’s developer funded mailers, they won re-election quite handily.
Right now, both of them received roughly 1,000 more votes than Larry Wahl as the two top voter getters.
I expect Schwab will become Chico’s next Mayor.
Jim Walker should be comfortably in the third position. He ran a strong, smart campaign and will bring another thoughtful demeanor to the City Council.
Walker will likely be the only new face on the City Council with the three incumbents re-elected.
Today's Scrabble word is lapser, one that lapses.
Which would make it a Walker for Bertagna switch. How would you assess the trade? Will it make any appreciable difference in the way the City is run? Do you think Walker will treat city staff with respect? (not to imply that Steve didn't)