- Update: Candidate Anthony Becker replied with a comment Thursday afternoon after he conceded the Santa Clara mayor’s race. It is included in this article.
While the vote count is not yet considered “official” by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, it looks like there is a winner in the race for mayor of Santa Clara. Anthony Becker has conceded and incumbent Lisa Gillmor has declared victory.
In a tweet sent out just before midnight on Nov. 16, Gillmor said, “I thank Santa Clarans who gave me their vote and sent a message that our city is not for sale. I am proud of our residents and hopeful about our future. But we can’t expect that by turning back a multi-million-dollar negative campaign, everything will suddenly be positive – or by defeating a multi-million-dollar special interest, the public interest will magically be served. We must remain steadfast if we want a city council that’s free from corruption and a city hall that operates transparently and ethically. As Mayor, I will continue to make sure the stadium lives up to its promise, that we have quality city services and safe neighborhoods. All these goals are possible if we work together to put our city’s interests first. Santa Clarans can count on me and I know I can count on them.”
On Thursday afternoon, Beckr sent a statement to The Weekly.
“I want to congratulate Mayor Gillmor on her election victory,” said Becker in a statement to The Weekly. “While this is not a mandate for either of us, her slim margin of victory is a victory. This poses a challenge for the Mayor, myself and the rest of the council because we are a city that is divided. It is going to take Mayor Gillmor, myself and the rest of the council to unite our city and focus on the quality of life issues that affect us all. It is time we put our people above the politics and that we abandon lies, misinformation and vendettas by focusing on the planning of not only the next four years but the next 40 years. Together we will provide better accountability, transparency and devotion to our community. Let this be a turning point and an opportunity to better not only ourselves but our community.”
According to the Registrar of Voters website update on Nov. 16 at 6:15 p.m., Gillmor had 14,376 votes to Becker’s 13,689. The margin is 687 votes.
The Registrar of Voters says while 19,000 ballots still need to be processed and there are some ballots that have been sent back out with challenged signatures (in some cases, a voter forgot to sign their mail-in ballot), a “majority” of the ballots have been counted.
While the count is considered “unofficial” until the election is certified by the Registrar of Voters, it is considered done. The county Registrar has until Dec. 8 to certify the election.
Although Becker has lost the race for Mayor, he will maintain his seat on the Santa Clara City Council.
He says that moving forward, his plan is to continue to serve the City and District 6.
“Running for mayor was a passionate and incredible journey,” said Becker. “It is an honor and a privilege to continue to serve this wonderful city.”
All of the City Council races were decided earlier, with Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy winning re-election in their respective districts.
