Final Mendocino County election results shake up Fort Bragg race

The final results of the Nov. 4 election in Mendocino County, released Friday, have reversed the fortune of Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner, who previously appeared to have lost his seat in the initial vote count on election night.

In the final canvass, however, Turner slipped in front of challenger Heidi Kraut to claim third place in the five-person race for three seats.

Turner said he was surprised and pleased by the late change in his favor, giving him a 41-vote margin over Kraut. He initially trailed by 32 votes.

“It’s rare,” Turner said, adding that he was “humbled and honored” to be re-elected to the Fort Bragg council.

It was the only change in Mendocino County election results between the initial count on election night and the final tally, Clerk-Recorder Sue Ranochak said.

“That just proves that every vote counts,” Ranochak said.

In Ukiah, the final count failed to reinstate Mayor Phil Baldwin, who came in fourth place in a race for three City Council seats.

He gained votes in the final count, but not enough to erase what ended up being a 23-vote difference from his nearest challenger, Maureen Mulheren.

Baldwin could not be reached Friday for comment.

Ranochak said the change in the Fort Bragg race was made possible by the exceptionally large number of mail-in ballots - more than 13,000, or over half of the ballots cast - that arrived at her office on Election Day. Those uncounted votes increased the odds of a change in the close races, Ranochak noted.

“People just seemed to wait a little bit longer to make up their minds,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter.