Early tallies point to Leatta Dahlhoff as Tumwater’s new mayor. Council results also decisive
Leatta Dahlhoff said she may have “ugly cried” when she first read the preliminary results on Tuesday night that said she would be Tumwater’s next mayor. It means that much to her.
Dahlhoff pulled ahead of Lance Brender in the Nov. 4 General Election with 65.3% of the vote, or 3,052 votes. Brender had 34.2%, or 1,609 votes.
Dahlhoff, a Tumwater City Council member since 2018, said she’s honored and humbled by the results.
“Tumwater is a strong and resilient community, and I look forward to working in partnership with our residents, city staff, and regional leaders to shape a future that reflects our shared values,” she said. “My focus will be on listening with curiosity, leading with transparency, and finding common ground to get to ‘yes’ on the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
She said she grew up in Tumwater and knows the city. She said she’s tired to the bone from the work she’s put into her campaign, but she’s also excited for the future.
Dahlhoff has over 20 years of professional experience as an environmental chemist with the Washington state Departments of Ecology and Enterprise Services. She currently serves as the Mayor Pro Tem and recently began a new job as Lead SEEP analyst at the Department of Commerce, where she helps state agencies become more environmentally sustainable.
Brender, a business owner and Army veteran, said he will be officially conceding to Dahlhoff if the results don’t budge by Wednesday.
He said there are a lot of ballots to be counted in the next couple of days, but a 30% gap is pretty big. The campaign is looking at things pretty soberly, he said.
Brender said he wanted to thank the public for their support, and that he will be focusing on getting his PhD.
Tumwater City Council Position No. 5
Meghan Sullivan is poised to take Position No. 5 on the Tumwater City Council over Rachelle Martin with 67.9% or 3,007 votes as of Thursday’s count. Martin had 31.1% or 1,376 votes.
Sullivan is an MPA graduate of The Evergreen State College and has been a leader at TOGETHER! for the last 19 years. She also has served on the Tumwater Planning Commission and on the Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason, & Thurston Counties.
She said she’s honored to have the support of the Tumwater community.
“I worked hard and I have a long history of working collaboratively in Tumwater, and I think that shows up in the results,” she said.
Sullivan said there’s a lot of exciting things on the horizon in Tumwater. She said the future is bright, but it’s not without challenges.
Martin works for the Washington State Department of Health and currently serves as president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council. She said she sent an email to Sullivan congratulating her on her win once she read the preliminary results.
“I think Meghan is going to do a really great job,” she said. “And they (the council) have a really strong, united front, and they’ve made it really clear that they’re all sticking together. So I think Megan’s going to do a great job.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM.
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