Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood also holds narrow lead in her reelection bid

By Matt Witt

Four Talent city councilors running for reelection as the “Forward Together” slate appear to be headed for reelection, according to the latest vote totals as of Saturday, Nov. 12.

Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood, also part of the Forward Together team, continued to hold a 27-vote lead, 1,230 to 1,203, over Mark Anderson (50% to 49%, with the other percent made up of write-in votes for other candidates).

The Forward Together councilors — Nicole Greider, Colette Pare-Miller, David Pastizzo and Eleanor Ponomareff — and Ayers-Flood ran on a platform of continuing to work to keep Talent affordable and diverse, bringing all of Talent’s displaced families home after the Almeda Fire, working with the fire district for fire prevention and resilience, improving emergency preparedness, helping small businesses get back on their feet, and maintaining Talent as a welcoming place for all.

The Forward Together slate faced an opposing slate headed by mayoral candidate Mark Anderson that also included council candidates Cynthia Jones, Philip Lanni, Deric Manzi and Kevin Zimmerer. Their slate’s platform said that “Talent’s fire and police departments, libraries, schools, and affordable housing must be prioritized.”

Pare-Miller leads Manzi by 1,319 (55%) to 1,051 (44%), Pastizzo drew 1,257 votes (54%) to Zimmerer’s 1,082 (46%); Ponomareff is ahead of Jones by 1,2017 (52%) to 1,115 (48%); and Greider notched 1,202 tallies (51%) to Lanni’s 1,142 (49%).

Ayers-Flood leads Anderson by1,230 to 1,203 votes

Mailed ballots had to be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 8, and while the Nov. 12 totals include the vast majority of those, it is possible that a small number of additional ballots will arrive at the Elections Office before the final tally is issued. Final results will not be certified until Dec 5.

As of Saturday afternoon, Nov. 12, none of the trailing candidates had issued a concession statement.

Mayor Ayers-Flood issued a statement the day after the election, noting that “both slates said they were committed to affordable housing” and that “every Talent resident, no matter how they voted, wants to prevent and prepare for another fire.”

“Let’s pull together,” the mayor said, and “treat others as we would want to be treated, and get to work.”

Matt Witt is a writer and photographer in Talent.