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Livermore voters have chosen City Councilman Bob Woerner as their new mayor and newcomer Brittni Kiick as the City Council District 3 representative in the city’s first district-based election.
The election results are considered unofficial until certified by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office and ballots are still being counted, but the totals reported by county officials thus far reflect the vast majority of eligible ballots and indicate Kiick and Woerner as clear winners of their respective races.
With more than 65% of the vote, Woerner is set to succeed Mayor John Marchand who is terming out this year.
“I am sincerely grateful to all those who contributed resources, time and endorsements to my campaign for Mayor,” Woerner, a second-term councilman, said in a statement on his campaign website. “I deeply appreciate all the help and expertise of my campaign team volunteers who made our success in this election possible.”
Woerner told the Weekly that while running for election isn’t always fun, he is proud of how all of the candidates for public office in Livermore conducted themselves along the campaign trail. “I want to congratulate all of the people who ran for election in Livermore,” he said. “We did well in the way that we carried ourselves.”
He also expressed gratitude for the support he received from Marchand during his campaign. “I’ve enjoyed working with him over all these years and I’m going to be very sorry that he has to leave the council, but I appreciate him having the confidence in me to continue in the role as mayor,” Woerner said.
His lone opponent, Realtor and former police officer Mony Nop, said that despite falling short in the race with just under 35% of the vote, the mayoral campaign was a “very positive experience.”
“I met so many incredible people along the way and heard many stories of people who have not been represented,” he said, adding that while he is unsure what’s next for him, he will be seeking other opportunities to serve the community.
Kiick, a community advocate and photography business owner, has earned nearly 60% of the votes for City Council District 3, which covers the southeastern parts of the city.
“This election was about doing more than speaking truth to power but actually ensuring activists are holding some of that power,” Kiick said in a statement shared on social media following the election. “I will keep working to make sure that young, LGBTQ and BIPOC communities understand the local systems of governance so they can find their rightful place at the table.”
Kiick’s District 3 opponent, lifelong Livermore resident and first-time candidate Pete Patterson, did not respond to the Weekly’s request for comment as of press time Wednesday. Patterson, a medical account manager, has garnered 40.51% of the vote to date in the two-candidate campaign for the council position currently held by Councilman Bob Coomber, who opted not to seek re-election for health reasons.
Kiick and Woerner both cited equity and inclusion as an area they want to focus on as the new council convenes to re-evaluate the goals and priorities of the city. The two are set to officially be seated on Dec. 14.
“I really want us to move equity and inclusion to our official goals and priorities,” Kiick said. “I think the city has made an effort to show that they value these efforts with the Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee, but I want it to be official so that we can truly show the community that we are taking this seriously.”
The council’s newly established Equity and Inclusion subgroup is currently co-chaired by Woerner and Councilwoman Trish Munro. However, this could change as the new council comes together to decide which commissions and subcommittees best align with each councilmember’s personal interests, strengths and expertise.
“No matter what subcommittees I end up on, equity and inclusion is going to be the lens with which I view all of the things that we have to do,” Kiick said.
Helping to improve communication between the city and the community is also among Kiick’s goals as a member of the council. “I’m hoping to have some kind of temporary subcommittee on communications to really focus on increasing that access to the public,” she said.
She acknowledged that holding public meetings via Zoom has offered more flexibility for people to participate and she said she looks forward to the potential to move toward a hybrid model for meetings even beyond the pandemic.
Kiick and Woerner both identified leading the community through the COVID-19 pandemic as an ongoing priority in terms of public safety and economic recovery efforts.
“We’re going to have to continue to help the businesses and the community get to the other side of the pandemic and we’re in the thick of that now,” Woerner said. “Hopefully a vaccine comes in and helps us but I think we’ve got easily through the first half of next year and beyond before we begin to get to the other side.”
He also listed continuing to improve emergency response plan efforts as one of his public safety goals.
Woerner’s elevation from councilmember to mayor means that his seat on the council will become vacant. Woerner was re-elected to another four-year council term in 2018, the city’s last election with at-large balloting for council positions; he lives in District 1.
It has not yet been decided whether the city will appoint someone to fill the spot or hold a special election, but Woerner said that in the past when a safe seat has become vacant, the council has filled it by appointment. “Traditionally, it’s been an appointment because a special election is extremely expensive,” he said, adding that he was initially appointed to the council when Marchand was elected from a safe seat.
The existing council will decide whether to hold a special election, but if they choose to go the appointment route, the new council will be responsible for filling the seat.
Incumbent Councilman Bob Carling also earned re-election on Nov. 3, running unopposed for District 4. He has received 98.19% of the vote, with the rest going to unidentified write-in candidates.
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