With 21.22% of ballots cast by registered voters, Mayor Suzette Cooke was re-elected with 5,133 votes (68.8%) to Jim Berrios’ 2,309 votes (30.95%).

In other contested races, Dennis R. Higgins won Kent City Council Position No. 4 over Dana Ralph, and Elizabeth Albertson retained Kent City Council Position No. 6 over Geoff Koepp. Jamie Danielson, who ran for Kent City Council Position No. 2 unopposed, will retain her seat as well.

As of 8 p.m. last night, a total of 7,827 ballots had been received out of 36,888 registered voters. For complete election results, visit the King County Elections page.

Throughout this election season, I have attempted to remain neutral on iLoveKent.net. As a journalist who holds herself closely to the SPJ Code of Ethics, I felt it was important to present both sides fairly which I have done. I have also refrained from stating my personal opinion regarding who I am supporting in the Kent mayoral election. Those who know me well know that I made my vote without reservation.

Before I continue, let me disclose my relationships with both Mayor Suzette Cooke and mayoral candidate and KSD school board president Jim Berrios. I used to be a contractor for the city. I am no longer working with the city on projects, but I frequently interview city officials and employees for articles for publication. I have also interviewed Jim Berrios  for several stories I’ve written for publication, one local publication and a trade publication for the newspaper advertising industry.

Without divulging my personal choice for mayor, I ask you to consider the following when casting your vote (if you have not already done so):

• Each candidate’s record of service to the community:   Mayor Suzette Cooke as our mayor for the last four years with numerous community and governmental achievements, and Jim Berrios as a community volunteer, business owner and president of the KSD school board.

• Each candidate’s behavior during the campaign. Did your preferred candidate conduct him or herself honorably, focusing on the issues (e.g., budget, flooding, economy) rather than minutia?

• When faced with difficult decisions like how to handle flooding, manage transportation issues, boost our economy and settle the school district strike, did your candidate act in the community’s best interests?

• Does your candidate of choice have a plan for the next four years? If so, do you understand and agree with it?

• Is his or her campaign platform clear and does it benefit the community at large, or primarily special interest groups?

• Do you have any reservations whatsoever about your candidate’s loyalty?

As you consider these items, I ask you to also consider the media coverage and debates that have taken place. There has been a fair amount of mudslinging and the race has gotten ugly in some instances. From where I sit, that mud is coming from one side more than the other, however. That tells me a lot about the integrity of the candidates and how I can expect them to represent me and the City of Kent into the future.

I invite anyone to comment on the mayoral candidates and how they have (or have made) their choice for mayor of Kent.

Thanks for listening,

Call me naive but I was taught that candidates in any election should stand on their own merits and not rely on underhanded tactics, mudslinging or smear campaigns to win votes.

Because I work in a home office and I am sheltered from what’s going on in terms of water cooler talk and local gossip, I am always surprised to hear when candidates – or their volunteers – are behaving badly. Last week, for example, word was sent to me that the upcoming mayoral election between incumbent Mayor Suzette Cooke and opponent Jim Berrios is heating up.There are also two contested city council races that could turn contentious.

One side claims the other has started a phone calling campaign to bash the opposition. I’ve also heard that candidates are posturing and otherwise behaving differently than they would in a non-election year, and I’ve seen campaign signs from both signs vandalized, pulled out of the ground or removed altogether.

Regardless of who is behind this behavior, I find it appalling. We are all adults and capable of standing behind our record of achievements, our promises for the future and our commitment to the community. Why, then, must we resort to childish tactics to get noticed or to smear an opponent? Rather than getting me to dislike a smeared opponent, I am more likely to rally against the one who is having the public temper tantrum. That’s not the type of candidate I want to see in office. How about you?

~ Dana Neuts, publisher, iLoveKent.net

Laura Pierce, editor of the Kent Reporter, announced yesterday that the Kent Reporter will host a debate between the City of Kent mayoral candidates, incumbent Suzette Cooke and opponent Jim Berrios, as well as in the contested Kent City Council races for positions 4 (Dennis Higgins vs. Dana Ralph) and 6 (Elizabeth Albertson vs. Geoff Koepp).

Monday, October 19, 2009, 7 p.m.
Kent Senior Activity Center
600 E. Smith St., Kent, WA 98030

For more info., read Pierce’s column regarding the debates.

This November 3, the City of Kent will vote on several races in its general election. To learn more about the candidates in the contested races, please visit their individual websites (see below) or visit the candidate blogs on the Kent Reporter site:

Mayor – City of Kent

Suzette Cooke, encumbent, is running for a second term.
Jim Berrios, KSD school board president, opposes Mayor Cooke.

Kent City Council and Kent Municipal Court

Opposed Seats

Council Position #4
Dana Ralph
Dennis Higgins

Council Position #6
Elizabeth Albertson
Geoff Koepp

Unopposed Seats

Council Position #2
Jamie Danielson, running for a second term

Municipal Court Judge Position #1
Robert McSeveney

Municipal Court Judge Position #2
Glenn M. Phillips

Proposed Panther Lake Annexation

In addition to these races, the Panther Lake Annexation Area has made it to the November 3 ballot. For more info., visit the King County Election website.

In addition, rumor has it that three “meet the candidate” forums and/or political debates are scheduled. As soon as these have been confirmed, iLoveKent.net will add them to our calendar and update this post.

For more information about other King County elections, registering to vote or voting by mail, please visit King County Elections online.

Jim Berrios, president of the Kent School District board, has announced he is running against Mayor Suzette Cooke in the upcoming mayoral election. Berrios held a kickoff event on Monday, June 8 at The Golden Steer in Kent, a restaurant he owns and manages. Mayor Cooke’s re-election campaign kickoff is scheduled for Friday, June 12 at the Kent Senior Activity Center (7 to 8:30 p.m.)