The Abridged version:
- Incumbent Linda Budge is seeking her seventh term on the Rancho Cordova City Council.
- She’s tied with Tegan Mauldin, chair of the city’s Planning Commission, who campaigned on bringing more transparency and accessibility to the council.
- Candidate Lilia Darbinyan, currently in third place, is a local businessowner and founder of a small private school in Carmichael.
Rancho Cordova City Council candidates Linda Budge and Tegan Mauldin were locked in a tie after additional ballots came in around 10 p.m. election night, but Budge eked out a narrow lead by early Wednesday morning.
Budge received 829 votes, or 38.92% of all ballots cast, while Mauldin carried 816. Another candidate, Lilia Darbinyan, trailed with 485 votes.
The three candidates are vying for the council’s District 5 seat. The race features two relative newcomers to local politics, Mauldin and Darbinyan, challenging Rancho Cordova’s longest-tenured elected official, Budge.
Elections officials noted that 27.69% of the votes were recorded in Rancho Cordova as of 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Mauldin said she was feeling “really encouraged and hopeful” as the election results arrived Tuesday night.
“We were able to run a really respectful and kind campaign with integrity, and I think that District 5 really responded to that,” Mauldin said. “It’s a seat that belongs to the community, not just one person.”
Budge said that in the history of Rancho Cordova politics, it’s not uncommon to have races separated by a small number of votes.
“Regardless of what happens, Rancho Cordova will keep moving forward,” Budge said.
She added that this election cycle has been “a weird year.”
“It strikes me that this is a year that is more influenced at the local level by what’s going on in national politics than ever before,” Budge said.
Budge has served on the Rancho Cordova City Council since the city was first incorporated in 2003. Prior to that, she represented the area on a county advisory council dating back to 1978.
With new housing and an ambitious arena project on the horizon for Rancho Cordova, Budge stated she was seeking reelection to provide a steady, experienced leadership to help oversee these efforts.
Mauldin is currently the chair of the city’s Planning Commission. She decided to run for council after repeatedly hearing residents frustrated with the planning process for large project. Mauldin campaigned on a message of increasing transparency and being a more accessible councilmember.
Darbinyan is a small business owner and the principal of a small school in Carmichael. As a prospective councilmember, she said she wants to bring more services for homeless individuals and make it easier for small businesses to operate in the city.
Darbinyan could not immediately be reached for comment on the early election results.
Over the last few years, Rancho Cordova has shifted its election maps to district-focused elections rather than “at large” elections. This November marks the first election for the District 5 seat, which includes neighborhoods south of Highway 50 and along Zinfandel Drive and Sunrise Boulevard.
