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This story was updated on May 20, 2009
Democratic candidate Nancy Navarro appeared to win a decisive victory in the District 4 County Council election Tuesday night, almost doubling the number of votes cast for her Republican challenger, Robin Ficker, according to near-final results on the county Board of Elections Web site.
Navarro, 43, a member and past president of the county's Board of Education, received 5,768 votes out of 9,214 — about 62 percent of the vote — with 42 out of 45 precincts reporting at 10 p.m.
Navarro said her victory was the result of getting out to the voters in the diverse community in District 4, a population she said she will make sure to represent as a councilwoman.
"It's good to know that Democrats have come together to claim a victory," she said.
County voters last November passed his proposed "Ficker Amendment," which requires all nine members of the County Council to approve a budget that exceeds the county's charter limit on property tax collections.
Ficker said he was surprised that the 45,000 District 4 residents who voted for that amendment didn't show up to the polls Tuesday.
"Where are those people? Why didn't they come out to vote?" he said, adding he is not sure whether he will run again for public office in 2010 or continue living in the district. He did say he would continue to be an advocate for homeowners.
Gluck said Wednesday morning that he was impressed with the number of votes he received, saying it could be a good omen for the Green Party.
In last year's special election, Gluck said only 25 registered Green Party voters cast ballots. But with an actual Green Party candidate on the ballot this year, Gluck said the party increased its base. Gluck said about 2/3 of his votes came from people who weren't registered in his party.
"I actually did better than I originally expected," he said, adding he could be persuaded to run again in 2010.
Election turnout was low, with about 8 percent of registered voters going to the polls Tuesday, said Marjorie Roher, spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
About 11 percent turned out for last month's primary.
Those numbers are consistent with last year's special election and primary for the District 4 seat, Roher said. About 2,300 absentee ballots were issued. As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, about 1,300 had been received by the Board of Elections. Roher said the board will tally the absentee and provisional ballots by May 29.
Navarro will fill the council seat left vacant by the death of Councilman Don Praisner (D), who died Jan. 30. He had won the seat in a special election last year after his wife, longtime Councilwoman Marilyn J. Praisner (D), died that February. Praisner, who vowed he would only serve the remainder of his wife's term to continue her legacy, edged out Navarro in last year's special election primary by about 370 votes.
But this year Navarro beat Democratic challenger Benjamin F. Kramer, who represents District 19 in the Maryland General Assembly, in the April 21 primary by an even thinner margin of 62 votes.
Navarro, who received substantial support from labor unions during her campaign, has said she will focus on bringing jobs to District 4, implementing smart growth initiatives and supporting working families and the elderly in a time of economic crisis.
Navarro, a native Venezuelan, said her election is "a good representation of democracy" in what has become a majority-minority district.
Political analysts say she could play a crucial swing vote in the nine-member council on everything from development to transportation to education and the county's budget deficit.
But Navarro, citing her record on the Board of Elections, said she will represent her district practically and seek compromise with the other County Council members.
"I don't see myself as some predictable vote bloc," she said.
District 4, which includes parts of Burtonsville, Silver Spring, Cloverly, Colesville, Wheaton, Aspen Hill, Olney, Sandy Spring and Ashton, as well as the retirement communities of Leisure World and Riderwood Village, is slightly older, less affluent and more diverse than other parts of the county.
Consistent with last year's special election, voter turnout was slow at almost all the polls early Tuesday.
Even Leisure World, known as a powerhouse voting bloc, saw a small trickle of voters at both of its precincts Tuesday morning.
Joan Billerbeck, chief Republican judge at Clubhouse 1, said 42 people had voted by 8:40 a.m. Only a few of the 12 voting machines in the room were occupied.
"It's probably about the same as the general election that was held to fill this position last year," she said.
Stu Lillard, chief Democratic judge for Clubhouse 1, said he thought the turnout was less than the primary election last month.
Out of 10 voters interviewed at the polls, six said they voted for Navarro, while Gluck and Ficker each received two votes.
Courtney Jones said he voted for Navarro because she seemed like the most qualified candidate.
"From what I've read in the papers, she looked like a logical choice to me," he said. "And I have friends who know her and they recommended her highly."
Doris Theurer said she cast her vote for Ficker because he "doesn't want to raise taxes."
"I don't think taxes need to be any higher in this county and that was my main reason for voting for him," she said.
Ruth Freitag and Shirley Tevelow, who both voted at Clubhouse 2, said they would like to see Gluck elected because of his views on the environment and his ability to act as a fresh voice on the council.
"He's an environmentalist and I think that's important," Freitag said. "I'd like to have him show interest in improving the Chesapeake Bay and cleaning up our rivers and streams."
By 10 a.m., 74 Democrats, 44 Republicans and five registered with other parties had voted at Clubhouse 2, where 3,000 voters are registered.
"People are coming in little by little," said Barbara Marcus, chief Democratic judge for Clubhouse 2. "It's just not that important of an election to them even though every election should be considered important."
She added that about 733 people voted in the primary election.
At Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Gene Mosbrucker, chief election judge, said turnout had been "terrible so far." At approximately 10 a.m., 30 people had cast their votes, including three poll workers.
The merger of two polling places in Burtonsville produced an estimated 34 votes by 10 a.m. at the Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center in Burtonsville.
Navarro acknowledged there is some fatigue among District 4 residents, who have undergone two special elections in as many years.
But despite the low turnout, Navarro said she thinks more people will take an interest in county politics after today, working with her to improve District 4.
"Now the fun begins," she said.
