UPDATE: Goss Still Comfortably Ahead in LFP Mayoral Race

After a tough campaign showed an often divided Lake Forest Park, former Councilwoman Mary Jane Goss is leading deputy mayor Dwight Thompson in the early returns for mayor.

Goss, who led Thompson in the primary, has a smaller but still comfortable 202-vote, seven-plus point lead. As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Goss had 53.62 percent (1,450 votes) to 46.15 percent (1,248 votes) lead in the general electioin race to replace the retiring Dave Hutchinson.

"It's not encouraging," Thompson said, Tuesday night. "We're holding on for tomorrow."

Thompson said his campaign continued a get-out-the-vote effort tonight up until 7 p.m. and wanted to wait and see today's results but it appears he will come up short.

Thompson blamed the LFP Gov. Watch political committee, which consisted of people who opposed the city's levy lid lift, Prop. 1 in 2010, of providing "misinformation" to voters.

"I think obviously the Gov. Watch piece (mailer) and misinformation they provided is seen in the results tonight," he said.

Gov. Watch endorsed Goss, Brian Cathcart, Jeff Johnson and Tom French and it appears all but Cathcart are headed for victory.

In the Council Position 2 race, incumbent Catherine Stanford, a business consultant, widened her lead with Wednesday with 52.47 percent of the vote (1307 votes) to the 47.29 percent (1,178 votes) of investment manager Brian Cathcart.

Political newcomer Johnson, an auto shop owner, lost some ground but still leads pharmacist Chuck Paulsen by seven points with 53.4 percent (1,336 votes) to 45.82 percent (1,161 votes) in the Position 4 race.

In the Position 6 race French, the challenger and business consultant, led incumbent Ed Sterner, a lawyer, by a smaller margin Wednesday but he is still leading by 120 votes, 52.22 percent (1,304 votes) to 47.42 percent (1,184 votes).

So far 2,804 ballots out of 9,408 registered voters have been counted or 29.8 percent of that possible total. King County turnout was estimated at 52 percent.