Gary Edwards, Madolyn Agrimonti leading in Sonoma City Council race

Voters in Sonoma appeared poised to oust longtime incumbent Ken Brown, who was trailing behind Gary Edwards, Madolyn Agrimonti and Rachel Hundley in the race for three open seats on the Sonoma City Council.

With all precincts counted Wednesday morning and only a portion of mail-in ballots counted, Brown, who was seeking a fifth term, had 14.6 percent of the votes.

“I’d rather not be behind at this point,” Brown said Tuesday night. “But it’s too soon to call.”

Edwards, who sits on the Sonoma Planning Commission, had 18.9 percent of the votes. Agrimonti, a retired fundraiser and a former mayor of Daly City, followed closely behind with 17.6 percent. Hundley, a political newcomer and licensed attorney who owns a catering and food business, had 16.6 percent of the votes.

Brown was first elected in 1998 when he ousted incumbent Dick Dorf by a single vote. He later went on to win three other elections with greater margins.

Eight candidates were running in this election. The other four were: personal trainer Cameron Stuckey; podiatrist Andrew Sawicki; property manager Lynda Corrado; and Jack Wagner, a restaurant server and community organizer for the Public Banking Institute.

Agrimonti said she wanted to tighten regulations on vacation rentals and strengthen a city rent-control regulation for mobile home parks to ensure seniors and families can continue to afford their housing.

Edwards said the city needs to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to add second units on their properties that could be rented. That would boost the number of affordable housing units in the city of 11,000 residents and provide an extra income for seniors and families, he said.

Sonoma officials learned at a recent housing workshop that 90 percent of the workforce lives outside the city.

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com.