Early results show six candidates are in the lead for three divisions of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency board of directors as of Tuesday’s early polling numbers, but it was not possible yet to project winners as the early tallies of mail-in votes did not yet include votes turned in at vote centers.
Each division has two seats up for election and the board is set to reduce in size from the current 12 members, which was initially 15, down to nine over the next two elections.
SCV Water Agency Division 1
Gary Martin and Beth Braunstein were leading for two seats in Division 1 of the SCV Water Agency. Martin was leading the other three candidates with 13,972 (32.1%) of the votes, and Braunstein followed with 11,346 (26.64%). Both candidates were running against Karla Waymire who had 8,945 (21.01%) and Christine Okamoto with 8,323 (19.54%) as of this report.
Martin, the incumbent, is a civil engineer and former water system engineering manager.
Braunstein is a Canyon Country resident who identifies as an educator and farmer.
SCV Water Agency Division 2
Ed Colley was holding the lead with 16,727 (33.58%) of the vote ahead of three other candidates for Division 2. Colley is the incumbent who has served since 2003 and is a retired U.S. Air Force captain.
Piotr Orzechowski, a Princess Cruises environmental water-programs engineer, was closely following behind with 15,036 (30.19%) of the votes.
Both of the leaders ran against Valerie Bradford, who accumulated 9,714(19.50%) of the votes Tuesday evening, with Anna Kumar receiving 8,325 (16.72%), as of this report.
SCV Water Agency Division 3
BJ Atkins was ahead of opponents Kathye Armitage, Stacy Fortner and incumbent Maria Gutzeit with 12,579 (28.28%), and Armitage followed in second place with 10,976 (24.68%).
Atkins is the incumbent who founded consulting firm Environmental HELP Inc. in 1989.
Armitage is a public health professional who serves on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to the SCV Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
