Watkins leading in Carlton mayor race

Update: A new count of ballots from the clerk's office Wednesday night shows the same candidates winning. Watkins now has 484 votes, or 59.4%, over Rake with 331 votes of 40.6%. Ward-Mullen has 447 and Hill 373, and write-ins Rizer-Thompson has 152 plus 4 other variations of her name, and Egland has 60 plus 5 under variations.

-------

Mayor Linda Watkins is ahead of former Mayor Brian Rake in the race for the volunteer job, according to early returns released Tuesday night. by the Yamhill County Clerk’s Office.

More ballots remain to be counted, including those dropped into the box at Carlton City Hall this evening or mailed on Election Day. The Yamhill County Clerk's Office plans to resume counting Wednesday.

Watkins, who defeated Rake, then the incumbent, in the 2020 election, has 343 votes, or 59% of the total. Rake, who was elected to a two-year term in 2018, has 238 votes, or 41%.

In the election for three positions on the Carlton City Council, incumbent Shirley Ward Mullen has 325 votes and David Samuel Hill has 264 in early returns. They were the only people to file for seats. 

At least two people have mounted write-in campaigns in hopes of winning the third position, Carolyn Thompson-Rizer and incumbent Jami Egland. At this point, Thompson-Rizer has 121 votes, plus 2 votes under other names. Egland has 44. Numerous other people have one or two votes..