Unofficial Elsinore/Wildomar election results indicate potential changes

(A representative of the Riverside County Registrar of Voters office said by phone Tuesday morning that final election results will not be determined until sometime next week. Absentee ballots are still being verified and tabulated for a final vote count. As of press time, 120,000 ballots were left to be counted.)

Running neck and neck for the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) Division 5 seat, challenger John Lloyd holds a lead over incumbent Kristine Anderson. Lloyd garnered 2,343 votes (or about 53 percent) versus Anderson’s 2,098 (about 47 percent of the 4,441 votes tallied so far).

The EVMWD District 3 race pitted incumbent Chris Hyland against longtime business owner Judy Guglielmana. Hyland trailed with 993 votes (about 45 percent) while her challenger netted 1,191 votes (about 55 percent out of 2,184 votes cast by Tuesday).

With about 63 percent (2,493 votes) supporting him, 12-year incumbent W. R. “Ben” Wicke will return for another four-year term. Challenger Doug Pinnow received 1,477 (37 percent) out of 3,970 votes.

Incumbents Thomas Buckley and Daryl Hickman appear to be headed toward their second consecutive terms as Lake Elsinore city councilmen. Unofficial results show Hickman with 1,902 votes (about 28 percent) and Buckley with 1,816 votes (about 27 percent). Challenger Connie Soto gained 1,589 (about 23 percent). Candidate Phil Stephens received 781, or about 11 percent, as did candidate Carole A. Feeney with 769 votes.

Preliminary returns indicate three Lake Elsinore Unified School District school board seats will be filled by newcomer Kim Joseph Cousins with 7,213 votes and incumbents Sonja Williams Wilson and Tom Thomas with 7,193 votes apiece. Candidate Katherine Aniol received 3,893 votes. A total of 25,235 votes were cast as of Tuesday evening.

City of Lake Elsinore voters rejected Measure F, which would have changed the city treasurer post from an elected official to an appointed official. Out of 3,991 ballots cast, 1,563 (about 39 percent) were in favor of appointment and 2,428 votes (about 61 percent) wanted the city treasurer to remain elected by the voters.