Imperial City Council: Incumbents Tucker, Dale and challenger Eugenio projected to claim seats

IMPERIAL — Based on unofficial final results Tuesday, incumbents James Tucker and Geoff Dale are projected to reclaim two of the three available Imperial City Council seats while challenger Karin S. Eugenio is projected to win the third.

Tucker led the group of five candidates with 24.12 percent of votes (726 votes) based on the unofficial final results released by the County Elections Office as of 9:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Behind Tucker was Eugenio with 22.92 percent (690 votes), Dale with 19.30 percent (581 votes), incumbent Betty Sampson with 17.28 percent (520 votes) and challenger Nicole R. Olguin with 16.38 percent (493 votes).

The results are unofficial and the county Elections Department is expected to finalize official results in about two weeks.

As of the 9:59 p.m. tally, five of five precincts reported.

Geoff, the city’s current mayor, has served on the council since 2001.

If re-elected, it will be Tucker’s second consecutive term. He was first elected to the council eight years ago.

“I’m very happy and looking forward to next year,” Tucker, a business owner, said Tuesday night. “I appreciate the city for voting me back in.”

Tucker added he is eager to be a part of the city’s forward-moving progress, as the city recently acquired a new city manager and police chief.

This year marked Eugenio’s first time running for a seat on the City Council.

Eugenio, an educator and business owner, explained her primary platform is landscaping and beautifying the city’s parks for the children and community to enjoy. Eugenio also aims to support new business and support local ones.

“If I am elected, I just want to thank everyone that voted for me,” Eugenio said Tuesday night. “I look forward to serving my community. It was a challenging race, but I’m glad that I decided to take that risk.”