Elk Grove mayor looks like a win for challenger Singh-Allen, but she remains cautious
Bobbie Singh-Allen held a steady lead over Steve Ly in the Elk Grove Mayor’s race early Wednesday as thousands of votes continued to be counted.
Singh-Allen challenged Ly, a two-term mayor, for the seat this summer had 47% of the votes counted in the city, according to the latest returns. Ly had 35%, while medical consultant Brian Pastor, a third candidate, had 17%.
More than 43,000 have been counted so far but both candidates urged caution as the result continues to be released. As of Wednesday, Singh-Allen was leading Ly by about 5,000 votes. Sacramento County election officials expect to release new vote numbers at 4 p.m. Friday.
“I think what’s important here is to let every vote be counted,” Ly said. “From my previous elections, I’ve had strong support across the city so we’re going to have to monitor this and wait until all the votes are counted.”
Ly was first elected to public office in 2012 when he joined the board for the Elk Grove Unified School District. He later joined the Elk Grove City Council and became the nation’s first mayor of Hmong descent in 2016.
The race against Singh-Allen could be the first upset of his political career.
A long-time Elk Grove school board member, Singh-Allen jumped into the race after a wave of harassment allegations were leveled against Ly’s supporters this summer. Critics accused Ly of being complicit in the behavior because he never intervened when political leaders were attacked.
The allegations have been one of the defining issues of the campaign but it’s still unclear how voters feel.
Even with a clear lead, Singh-Allen has not declared victory. In a video message to her supporters, she said thanked them for “getting me to this point” late Tuesday.
“This has been a hard-fought election,” Singh-Allen said in a video message. “Without you, we couldn’t have gotten to this point. The numbers are not final yet ... but I just wanted to thank you all. I’m truly humbled by the outpouring of support I have received in the last 90 days.”
District 1 — Elk Grove City Council
In other races, incumbent Darren Suen took a commanding lead, capturing 68% of the vote and with challenger Ali Moua with 31%. The district represents the westernmost section of the city.
Suen, who was endorsed by officials from all levels of government in the region, was appointed to the city council in 2014 and elected to a full term in 2016. A civil engineer by training, he represents the city on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
A personal injury attorney and newcomer to Elk Grove, Moua was the only challenger for the District 1 seat.
District 3 — Elk Grove City Council
Kevin Spease was out front in the race for Elk Grove City Council representing District 3 after pulling in 32% in a crowded field of five candidates who were jockeying to represent the northwest section of Elk Grove, including parts of eastern Laguna.
Among the four other candidates, Amandeep Singh garnered 20% of the vote in late returns, while Maureen Craft came in with 19%, and Lynn Wheat with 14%. Alejandro-Gutierrez-Duncan had 13% of the vote in the first round of returns.
Spease replaces Vice Mayor Steven M. Detrick, who did not seek reelection. He previously ran for mayor and served on the planning commission. Amandeep Singh is a civil engineer and first-time candidate. Maureen Craft is a human resources consultant and previously ran for a city council seat in 2016. Lynn Wheat is a registered nurse, and Alejandro Gutierrez-Duncan is a teacher and 10-year Elk Grove resident.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 2:52 PM.