Measure W passing, Motts, Ogorchock lead in Antioch council race; Rocha in first, Householder, Davis vie for second for school board
Lori Ogorchock and Joy Motts are winning in the Antioch Council race, Mary Rocha and Ellie Householder are winning in the Antioch School Board race, on Election Night.
By Allen Payton
It appears to be the Year of the Woman in Antioch elections. As of the Interim Update 3 Report from the Contra Costa County Elections Department at 11:10:39 PM PST, with 32% of the precincts reporting Antioch’s Measure W sales tax increase was passing overwhelmingly with 63.27% of the vote. In the council race, challenger Joy Motts was leading with 27.38% of the vote, trailed by incumbent Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock at 24.05%, with Councilman Tony Tiscareno in third place at 20.34%. In the Antioch School Board race, former Antioch mayor and school board member, Mary Rocha had a strong, first place lead with 26.84% of the vote and newcomer Ellie Householder in second place with a 189-vote lead over former Antioch mayor Jim Davis. (See all election results in the county, here).
Measure W
When reached for comment about Measure W, Mayor Sean Wright said “It looks positive, should things continue I thank the voters. I look forward to hiring more officers and improving Antioch’s quality of life throughout town.”
“With 17% reported, Measure W is passing at 62.77%,” he continued. “I am feeling extremely confident that this trend will continue.”
“Thank you to all the volunteers who put their time and energy into supporting this measure. Thank you to all of the voters for supporting this opportunity for Antioch. I promise that I will push the council to increase our police force, create more youth programs and hire more code enforcement personnel to make our community cleaner.”
Economic Development Commissioner Tim McCall, one of the organizers of the Yes on Measure W campaign, offered his thoughts on the success of the campaign.
“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’m very proud of our residents for taking the time to understand what Measure W is and the willingness to invest their hard-earned money into helping Antioch reach its potential. There truly are great opportunities in Antioch’s future.”
Council Race
Ogorchock, who was celebrating election night with supporters at Celia’s Mexican Restaurant, said, “It’s not over, yet. Many votes are still left to be counted. City Clerk Arne Simonsen said there were 1,000 absentee ballots turned in at City Hall, today. We saw what happened in two years ago. So, it’s too soon to say.”
Motts who was celebrating with supporters at her home in the Rivertown area, said “Things look positive. We don’t know for sure, yet.”
Asked about her campaign, she said “I ran a grassroots campaign. I didn’t have a lot of money. They probably outspent me four or five times. But we really ran a good campaign.”
“I fought hard,” Motts continued. “Here’s the thing. I’m just all about a better Antioch. It’s not rocket science. You have to work hard, collaborate and do what we need to do to take us to the next level.”
“We have 115,000 people, we have incredible opportunities. We need to fight for that,” she said. “We have a beautiful waterfront. We have the new BART Station. Wilbur corridor, a deep-water port. Downtown, we’ve had plans that have come and gone.
“I’m all about putting our best practices in place. I’m not coming here thinking I have all the answers,” Motts shared. “What I have is the passion and dedication to put in the hard work to make a difference, and a resume of getting things done.”
Mayor Pro Tem Lamar Thorpe and Councilwoman Monica Wilson had a big night with the passage of Measure W, and two of the three candidates they backed for council and school board winning.
“I’m delighted that the good people of Antioch agreed with me and Councilwoman Wilson that we have to invest in public safety, before and after school programs and quality of life,” he said. “Ellie is neck and neck with Jim Davis.”
He said he thinks that she will end up winning.
“The big one is Joy Motts, having her come in as the top vote getter (in the council race),” Thorpe stated. “We look forward to supporting her and making sure she’s a successful Mayor Pro Tem.”
Absentee ballots will still be received by mail by the county Elections Department through Friday, and they have 28 days to certify the election. So, close races might not be decided for a few more weeks.
Please check back later for more details and updates.
the attachments to this post:
Antioch 2018 election winners
