The Kent City Council will feature at least one new member next year as Tina Budell convincingly defeated Hira Singh Bhullar in Tuesday night’s election.
Councilwoman Brenda Fincher is in a tight race to keep her seat. Fincher received 50.27 percent (4,335 votes) while challenger Toni Troutner had 49.49 percent (4,268), a difference of only 67 votes. King County Elections will release new counts each weekday afternoon at 4:30 until the count is certified on Nov. 24.
Budell pulled in 63.33 percent (5,956) while Bhullar had 34.45 percent (3,141).
“I’m blown away,” said Budell, who celebrated her victory at Nashville’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Kent. “I have tears of joy and shock.”
Budell, who works as an Information Technology project coordinator at Kforce, Inc., a professional staffing services firm, said she thought she would win the race, but did not expect it to be by such a large margin.
“I thought I was going to win with 52 or 53 percent,” she said. “He and I ran a clean, honest and positive campaign.”
Budell won even though Bhullar raised nearly four times as much money, $55,526 to $15,537, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission website on Monday.
“I was a little worried about the amount of money he raised,” said Budell, who has lived in Kent for eight years and serves as president of the North Park Neighborhood Council.
Budell said she plans to spend the next couple of months getting ready to take office by talking with current council members and attending council meetings and workshops. She will replace Deborah Ranniger, who decided not to seek a fourth, four-year term.
Bhullar gathered with family, friends and supporters at his East Hill home to view the election results. Although he didn’t win, he was pleased with the amount of votes his campaign garnered.
“It was great excitement for the whole community,” said Bhullar, a member of Kent’s Sikh community and a software developer at Starbucks in Seattle. “It was the first time a guy with a turban was running.”
It might be days or even weeks before the Fincher-Troutner race is decided. The council appointed Fincher to her position last year after the resignation of Ken Sharp. Two years remain on the term.
Troutner, a market research analyst with a small business in Kent, is making her first run for an elected office.
“I’m actually really excited,” Troutner said during a phone interview Tuesday night about the initial results. “It’s too close to call at this point. But I’m really pleased. She’s not an incumbent but for this particular situation, I’m excited.”
The two women also raised similar campaign contributions. Troutner raised $11,702 and Fincher $11,594.
“We’re encouraged by the results,” said Crystal Fincher, campaign consultant and the daughter of Brenda Fincher, in an email Tuesday. “Our volunteers were working hard right up until the ballot deadline, and we’ve been getting good feedback from voters. We’re eager to see what the upcoming counts will be.”
Incumbent Les Thomas received 97 percent of the vote against write-in candidate Gwen Allen, executive director of the Kent Black Action Commission (KBAC) and owner of C&G Hair and Beauty Supply on the East Hill. Thomas will serve his fourth, four-year term starting next year.
Council members Dana Ralph and Bill Boyce ran unopposed and each will return for four more years.
Reporter Heidi Sanders contributed to this article.
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