Pittsburg City Councilmember Shanelle Scales-Preston had a 250-vote lead over Antioch City Councilmember Mike Barbanica in their runoff race to succeed Federal Glover on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors as of early Wednesday.Â
At 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, the race remained too close to call. The county elections office said it had counted 47,248 ballots.
Scales-Preston had 50.26% percent of the vote (23,749 votes), trailed closely by Barbanica’s 49.74% (23,499 votes).
Glover — who is retiring at the end of this year, during which he has served as the board’s chair — has held the job of District 5 supervisor since 1999.Â
Barbanica and Scales-Preston finished first and second in the March primary. However, neither garnered more than 50% of the vote, making Tuesday’s runoff necessary.
District 5 includes Hercules, Rodeo, Crockett, Martinez, Bay Point, Pacheco, Clyde, Pittsburg, and parts of Antioch and Marsh Creek.
Barbanica is a real estate broker and former Pittsburg police officer. Much of his support comes from police officers’ associations and law enforcement officials, including Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston.
Scales-Preston, who works for U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, is chair of the board for local electricity provider MCE. She’s also the chair of TransPlan, which coordinates regional transportation projects and transit services in East County, She’s also president of the League of California Cities’ East Bay Division.