Count ’em up

Vote counting is a tricky business. But only for those of us waiting to know what the results are. You can be in the lead for almost a week, only to have your hopes dashed with the newly released vote counts. That happened in at least two of the races I’ve got my eye on this election cycle. Santa Maria Airport District board member Michael B. Clayton was keeping his 4th Division seat until Nov. 10 around 2:30 p.m. Then, all of a sudden, he was losing. Self-proclaimed “airport baby” Alejandro Arredondo snatched that lead away from the incumbent who believes Santa Maria’s airport could become an “international airport” one day. Arredondo had 126 more votes for that coveted airport district seat—an opportunity to turn the local airport into something with economic value! Arredondo seems to have less of a grandiose approach to the airport’s potential. As someone who grew up at the airport in his family’s business ArtCraft Paint, he understands the business better than most.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.