Job security on the Sacramento City Council is no longer a given.
Councilman Robbie Waters, a 16-year incumbent, was defeated Tuesday night after all precincts were reported. And Councilman Ray Tretheway, seeking a fourth term, may also be out of office. He could face a fall runoff with challenger Angelique Ashby, who gained 50.08 percent of the vote.
There are more than 20,000 vote-by-mail ballots that were turned into polling places Tuesday that still need to be counted, said Brad Buyse, Sacramento County elections spokesman, early Wednesday.
The Waters defeat marks the first time since 1992 that a council incumbent ran for re-election and lost.
For Mayor Kevin Johnson, the election results are significant.
While he is losing his closest political ally in Waters, the mayor seemed poised to gain a potential supporter in Ashby, whom he supported.
Another candidate backed by the mayor - Jay Schenirer - was the pacesetter in District 5 with 47.0 percent of the vote. And Councilman Steve Cohn, who has sided with the mayor on key issues, gained a record fifth term, with 53.9 percent of the vote.
"There's new blood on the council and the mayor will be dealing with a team that's committed to moving the city forward," said political consultant Steve Maviglio, who worked with both Ashby and Johnson. "It's not the same old clique at City Hall anymore and that's good news for everybody."
Ashby, a community activist from North Natomas, had the support of the city police and fire unions. At
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