A third place candidate widened the lead over her closest opponent for a seat on the Blanchard Community Library District, and now the race seems to be finalized.
More votes must still be counted, but the latest update showed that first-time candidate Linda Spink was holding on to the top vote position followed by board incumbent Beverly Mueller. The latest update of votes counted showed Maureen Coughlin has widened her lead over challenger Kathy Ashby to a point where she can claim victory.
Two seats were open on the library board of directors due to BCL incumbent trustees Ed Geis and Ninette Sena declining to run for another term. The race was unusual as it drew numerous candidates - incumbent Mueller as well as first-time candidates Ashby, Coughlin, Juan Corona Jr., Lisa Sorenson and Spink.
According to the latest update released November 13, Spink, a retired longtime Santa Paula educator, remained in top place with 3,443 votes, 22.72 percent of the votes cast. Two-term board incumbent Beverly Mueller will serve a third four-year term after she received 3,156 votes, 20.83 percent of the total. Coughlin widened her lead, clinching the third open seat: she had 2,451 votes, 16.18 percent.
Ashby, who coordinates the Many Meals nonprofit, had 2,371 votes, 15.65 percent to the total. Initially Coughlin had a 40-vote lead over Ashby, which in the latest count doubled to 80.
Corona, a FLAIR program volunteer, had 2,083 votes, 13.75 percent, followed by Lisa Sorenson, a college district purchasing agent, who had 1,600 votes, 10.56 percent of the total. There were 47 write-in votes, 0.31 percent of the total.
Voters were also asked to approve Measure U, which triggered library spending of property taxes already collected.
The Blanchard Community Library District has the same boundaries as the Santa Paula Union High School District.
