Budell, Bhullar lead Kent City Council race | Primary Election Update

It appears Tina Budell and Hira Singh Bhullar are headed for a Kent City Council race showdown in November.

Budell received 37.8 percent (3,212 votes) and Bhullar 27.5 percent (2,334 votes) in Tuesday’s primary election, according to King County Elections.

Bailey Stober, who has lost in the general election in two previous council races, received 18.8 percent (1,596 votes). Rich Brandau, who withdrew from the race for personal reasons but whose name remained on the ballot because of a missed deadline, received 15.4 percent (1,310 votes).

The two candidates with the most votes advance to the Nov. 3 general election. They are vying to replace Councilwoman Deborah Ranniger, who decided not to seek re-election.

Bhullar has raised $31,499 so far, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission reports on Tuesday. Stober has raised $10,470 and Budell $9,865.

The council seats are four-year terms. The part-time positions pay $14,095 per year.

Budell has lived in Kent for eight years and serves as president of the North Park Neighborhood Council. North Park is just east of the ShoWare Center. She works as a project manager for Amplify Solutions, a business consulting and technical staffing firm with a Kirkland office.

“I’m extremely humbled by getting 37 percent of the vote, but I think it points out that there’s always room to engage voters more, work harder, and do better,” Budell said in an email. “I don’t know why all of the voters who supported me did – but I think a good deal of it stems from them seeing me for who I am – someone who cares about the community and has a roll my sleeves up attitude.”

She looks forward to the running against Bhullar and said her team will introduce some new campaign ideas.

“I think that my chances in November are pretty good against Hira and his team,” Budell said.

Bhullar is a member of Kent’s Sikh community and a software developer at Starbucks in Seattle. He lives on the East Hill and also teaches at the Punjabi School in South King County which instructs children in computer literacy, music education, language and religion.

“I’m very thankful that so many people placed their trust in me with their votes,” Bhullar said in an email. “Since we started this campaign, I believe we’ve worked harder and engaged more residents in Kent than any other campaign.

“I’ve been knocking on doors across the city almost every day for the past few weeks, because I want to hear what’s on people’s minds and make sure I can represent them on the council. That’s what I plan to do moving forward and why I’m confident that we can win (in November).”

Stober lost council races in 2013 against Ken Sharp and in 2011 against Ranniger. He lives on the East Hill and works as a communications and marketing consultant for several small businesses and a political client. The state Public Disclosure Commission recently fined Stober $2,000 for campaign violations in 2011 and 2013.

“Maybe, I don’t have a crystal ball and will choose not to speculate,” Stober said in an email when asked if the PDC fine might have cost him votes. “I will note the Kent Reporter ran the story eight times in the past two years. The way the Kent Reporter chose to cover the story was disappointing. It read like a gossip column rather than an article, similar to the pieces you ran on Ken Sharp.”

Stober plans to support either Budell or Bhullar.

“I’m sure I will back one of the candidates advancing, I’m not sure which one yet,” Stober said.

The three-time candidate appreciated those who voted for him.

“I want the people of Kent to know the greatest honor I’ve ever had was receiving their votes, support, encouragement and love,” Stober said. “We have an amazing city and can make it even better if we continue to work together.”

Primary election results

Name        Votes    Percent

• Kent City Council Position No. 1

Hira Singh Bhullar: 2,334 (27.50)

Rich Brandau: 1,310 (15.43)

Tina Budell: 3,212 (37.84)

Bailey Stober: 1,596 (18.80)

Write-in: 36 (0.42)