Members of the Centralia City Council watch as general election results are released.
Lewis County Auditor Larry Grove locks the ballot box as ballots prepare to be counted Tuesday night at the Lewis County Historical Courthouse in Chehalis.
Joyce Barnes prepares to take a photo when election results appear on a monitor Tuesday night at the Lewis County Historical Courthouse in Chehalis.
Updated Wednesday:
Challenger Kelly Smith Johnston continues to lead in the Centralia City Council Position 2 at-large race against incumbent Lee Coumbs after the second batch of results was released Wednesday.
Smith Johnston now has 56.05 percent of the vote to Coumbs’ 42.84 percent.
In the race for Centralia City Council Position 1 at-large the two first-time candidates are neck-and-neck. Matt Evans leads Elizabeth Cameron by 14 votes as of Wednesday.
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Challenger Kelly Smith Johnston is leading in the Centralia City Council Position 2 At-Large race against incumbent Lee Coumbs after the first votes were released Tuesday.
Out of 9,070 registered voters, 31.31 percent voted in the race.
Coumbs has so far received 1,082 preliminary votes (42.41 percent) and Smith Johnston received 1,440 preliminary votes (56.45 percent).
The Chronicle contacted Smith Johnston for comment on the preliminary votes and she said she is encouraged by the results.
“I believe Centralia is ready for change. I am looking forward to being a member of the City Council and providing thoughtful leadership to help the city flourish as we grow,” she said.
Smith Johnston mentioned citizens’ hopes for improvements including: neighborhood roads, code enforcement for safety and security, developing partnerships with community leaders and a plan for the future.
In the race for Centralia City Council Position 1 At-Large the two first-time candidates are neck-and-neck. Matt Evans leads slightly, receiving 1,140 preliminary votes (49.72 percent) and Elizabeth Cameron trails with 1,122 preliminary votes (48.93 percent).
Peter Abbarno ran unopposed collecting 1,927 votes, shows the preliminary results from the Lewis County Elections website. A write-in candidate received 52 votes or 2.63 percent.
