Newcomers Toni Troutner and Satwinder Kaur as well as incumbent Brenda Fincher are on their way to victories in the three Kent City Council races.
Troutner had 66 percent (6,942 votes) while Tye Whitfield received 33 percent (3,457) in the Position No. 4 race, according to results released Tuesday night by King County Elections.
Kaur received 54 percent (5,846 votes) and Paul Addis had 45 percent (4,814) in the Position No. 2 race. Fincher had 71 percent (7,332 votes) while Russ Hanscom received 28 percent (2,904).
In the only Kent School Board race, Denise Daniels is defeating Bryon Madsen. Daniels had 52 percent (7,768 votes) while Madsen received 47 percent (6,983).
Troutner, a market research analyst, will replace Dennis Higgins, who decided not to seek re-election to the council. Troutner also easily defeated Whitfield in the August primary. Whitfield is a small business owner, community advocate and nonprofit director.
Kaur, who worked as an executive assistant with the City Council in 2012 and 2013, had the closest of the three races. She works as an information technology professional for a large firm and will replace Jim Berrios, who ran for mayor and whose council term expires at the end of the year. Addis is a senior business analyst at Alaska Airlines.
Fincher, in her fourth year on council, defeated Trounter in 2015 to complete the four-year term won by Ken Sharp in 2013 before he resigned after a couple of weeks in office. Fincher works as an administrator at Holy Spirit Parish in Kent.
Hanscom, a former Kent School Board member, works as the executive director of elder and vulnerable adult services for the Puyallup Tribe. He wrote an unusual piece in the Voters’ Pamphlet about how he wasn’t really sure he wanted the job. Hanscom had a similar approach about his lack of time to devote to the position when he won a school board seat in 2011. He lost a council race against Elizabeth Watson (now Albertson) in 2005.
School board race
Daniels is on her way to replacing incumbent Agda Burchard, who lost the August primary to challengers Madsen and Daniels. Madsen had 35 percent to 33 percent for Daniels in the primary for the District No. 4 seat.
Daniels is the assistant director of equity, outreach and engagement for the Auburn School District, where she has worked for three years. Madsen works in downtown Seattle with a wealth management company.
Incumbent Maya Vengadasalam ran unopposed for the District No. 5 position.
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