There’s an interesting mayoral race going on in Vallejo, California where Gary Cloutier and Osby Davis are neck-and-neck. As of yesterday afternoon, Davis was ahead by a single vote.
Either candidate’s win will be a first for the city. Should Davis come out ahead, he’ll be the city’s first non-white mayor. Should Cloutier prevail, Vallejo will have its first gay mayor.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports: “The winner will be decided after the county tallies some 6,000 absentee ballots and 840 provisional ballots in the coming days, and the new mayor will make history by being the first gay or non-white mayor in the Bay Area’s ninth-largest city. In recent years, the blue-collar city of 117,000 has become one of the most diverse in the region and the nation, while drawing attention for an influx of gays and lesbians looking for affordable housing and tolerance. At the same time, the city is struggling to revitalize its economy after the closure of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard a decade ago. Gary Cloutier and Osby Davis – who each tallied 5,158 votes in a field of four candidates – represent the new and old Vallejo to many voters.”
Vallejo Mayor’s Race in Dead Heat [sf chronicle]
