Lacey incumbent Cox, newcomer Vazquez leading in early election results
Lacey City Council incumbent Carolyn Cox and current Lacey Planning Commissioner Robin Vazquez were leading in early council election results on Tuesday.
Cox, who holds the Position No. 7 seat on the council, was leading challenger and Edward Jones financial adviser Felix Peguero with 56 percent of the vote to his 43.7 percent.
“I’m optimistic, but I’m taking nothing for granted,” said Cox, pointing out that although the percentages reflected a wide separation, the two candidates were only separated by about 800 votes.
“I”m hopeful we can pull this out,” she added.
Vazquez, on the other hand, held a commanding lead over hair salon owner Emma McSharry, leading with 62.1 percent of the vote to McSharry’s 37.4 percent. They are competing for the Position 4 seat being vacated by Deputy Mayor Cynthia Pratt.
“I cried like a baby in a room full of people,” said Vazquez after hearing the results. “It’s been a long, hard slog, working full-time and running a campaign. The relief I feel is immense.”
Cox, a retired communications professional, is running for a second term.
The four Lacey City Council candidates in contested races raised a little over $100,000 for their respective campaigns, with Cox raising the most at $37,000, including contributions from Mayor Andy Ryder and council members Pratt and Michael Steadman, state Public Disclosure Commission data show.
Vazquez followed with $33,000, Peguero at $26,000 and McSharry at $17,000, the data show.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Lacey incumbent Cox, newcomer Vazquez leading in early election results."
