Romero, Fernandez emerge as apparent winners

CALEXICO – Political newcomer David Romero pulled ahead early in a crowded field of Calexico City Council candidates on Tuesday night and remained there, besting former public office holders and experienced local agency administrators.

Romero’s slight lead in the unofficial preliminary results also stood in contrast to his seventh-place finish as one of 14 City Council candidates in the 2016 election.

“I think being transparent, down to earth and being able to connect with voters at their level is what helped me,” Romero said.

Of the 3,183 votes counted as of 9:59 p.m. Tuesday with 17 of 19 precincts reporting, Romero amassed 564 votes, or 17.7 percent of the votes tallied.

His vote tally was just 15 votes ahead of the night’s second-place holder, Rosie Arreola Fernandez, a former Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District board member whose 549 votes equaled 17.2 percent of votes cast.

For her part, Fernandez appeared to have secured the second of the council’s two open seats, pulling ahead of former Calexico City Councilman Joong Kim, who tallied 505, or 15.8 percent, of the votes cast. Fernandez said she decided to run for City Council this year instead of the Heffernan board so that she could put her prior experience to wider use.

“I feel there are more things I can do on the City Council that will benefit the city,” Fernandez said.

If the preliminary election results remain in favor of both Romero and Fernandez, both will fill the vacancies being left by current incumbents Maritza Hurtado and Armando “Mandy” Real at the end of the year. Real served just one four-year term, while Hurtado had served two four-year terms.

Romero and Fernandez were among a total of seven candidates who had vied for two City Council seats. Aside from Kim, that field had also included local businessman Morris Reisin, whose unofficial finish placed him fourth with 477, or 14.9 percent of votes cast.

In his first bid for public office, county Day Reporting Center program manager Carlos “Jesse” Contreras netted 418 votes, or 13.1 percent of the 3,183 votes cast as of 9:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Coming in sixth was retired special agent Javier Moreno, who finished with 385 votes, or 12.1 percent of total votes cast, according to the unofficial preliminary results.

Lastly, county Workforce Development Office manager Camilo Garcia netted 285 votes, or 8.9 percent.