The lone race for a seat on the Lincoln County board of commissioners was too close to call Tuesday night after challenger Rick Beasley of Depoe Bay was within 232 votes of five-term incumbent Claire Hall of Newport after more than 24,000 votes were counted.
After the first round of ballot counting Tuesday, Hall had 12,251 votes to Beasley’s 12,019 with 90 percent of ballots counted that had been turned in by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The next round of results in Lincoln County races will be released shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Beasley, a Depoe Bay city councilor, campaigned against Hall’s record, had the endorsement of Sheriff Curtis Landers and said the county needed a change after her 20 years in office. Hall called her record one of accomplishment on housing, social services, and response to the pandemic and 2020 wildfires.
The two squared off in the general election because Hall did not get more than a 50 percent majority in the May primary when the votes were split between her and four challengers.
“It’s too close to call but it’s better to be slightly ahead than behind,” Hall told YachatsNews late Tuesday night. “But we should know definitively Wednesday night.”
As of Tuesday, the clerk’s office had processed 27,694 of the record number of 41,288 ballots sent to Lincoln County voters for a turnout of 67 percent. By the time all ballots are processed by the end of the week, county clerk Amy Southwell expects 33,000 ballots to be counted for a turnout of 80 percent, typical of a presidential general election.
In the only other race of countywide significance, Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, was headed toward his first re-election by leading 52.5 percent to challenger Jo Beaudreau’s 47.3 percent, according to partial returns from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. Oregon Senate District 5 runs from Lincoln County south to Coos Bay, and now includes slices of western Benton and Lane counties.
Voters were also choosing new people for three new statewide offices – attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. Oregon voters are also deciding five ballot measures. For results of those races from Oregon Capital Chronicle, go here
The 4th Congressional District covers all of Lincoln County and Rep. Val Hoyle is being challenged by Monique DeSpain of Eugene. For results of that race from Oregon Capital Chronicle, go here
In the Oregon House, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, was unopposed for his seventh two-year term.
More local results
In the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District, voters soundly defeated the district’s request for a 60 cent increase to an operations levy of $1.27. The vote Tuesday night was 698 to 1,387. The 60 cent increase would have added $150 a year onto the property tax bill of the owner of property assessed at $250,000.
In the Seal Rock Fire District, voters were approving a new 25 cent, five-year levy for equipment 1,081 to 790. The new levy will add $62.50 to the yearly tax bill of someone’s property assessed at $250,000.
Voters in Yachats, Waldport, Newport, Toledo, Depoe Bay, and Siletz were electing mayors – but only two races were contested.
In the race for mayor of Waldport, former city councilor Heide Lambert had a big lead over city councilor Malaia Kilduff 656 to 491. Both had conducted a vigorous social media and letter-writing campaigns. Four people, including incumbents Jayme Morris and Greg Dunn sought three Waldport city council seats; Morris had 795 votes, former councilor Jerry Townsend 759 votes, Dunn 749 votes, and Thomas Ebling was fourth with 419 votes.
In Lincoln City, in the one contested race for the city council, Kevin Hohnbaum had a big lead over Tammy Sanford 766 to 471 for the Ward III seat.
In Depoe Bay, first-term mayor Kathy Short was leading challenger Cindi Ciuffo 562 to 385. Two of three council races were contested, with Autumn Watson leading Kathy Wyatt 449 to 339 and Debbie Poland leading Hannah Grant 449 to 343.
In Toledo, Andrew Keating was the top vote-getter in a four-way race for three seats on the city council with 810 votes. Jackie Kauffman was second with 730 votes, Tracy Mix third with 687 and William Riley fourth at 584.
Toledo voters were also narrowly approving a new city charter 710 to 693.
As for the unopposed mayor races in the other cities, Craig Berdie was re-elected in Yachats, Jan Kaplan, who was appointed Newport’s mayor in 2023, was elected to the position Tuesday; and Rod Cross was unopposed in Toledo as was Will Worman in Siletz.
For statewide election results, go to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website here
To see how Lincoln County is voting on all the candidates and issues as of Tuesday night, go here
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