Incumbents, tax measures favored by Sebastopol voters

Sebastopol voters were poised Tuesday night to re-elect three incumbents to the City Council, despite the attempt of a young newcomer to win a seat.

The city’s electorate also appeared overwhelmingly supportive of two separate municipal tax measures, though only a fraction of the vote had been counted.

Early results put ?14-year Councilwoman Sarah Glade Gurney in the lead of the four-way council race, with 29 percent.

Councilwoman Una Glass and Mayor Patrick Slayter followed, both with about 26 percent.?Running fourth was Vaughn Higginbotham, a 22-year-old challenger in his first bid for public office who nonetheless earned a respectable ?18 percent of the early vote.

Higginbotham, a volunteer Bodega firefighter who runs his own electronics repair service, said he had braced himself for any outcome but was satisfied with his showing so far, “especially for my first time running.”

Two separate tax measures put on the ballot by the five-member council also appeared headed for approval, both winning more than two-thirds support in the early count, though they needed only a simple majority.

Measure Q calls for the extension of an existing half-cent sales tax that generates about $1.4 million annually, or 16 percent of the city’s general fund.

Measure R would raise the hotel occupancy tax from 10 percent to 12 percent, producing about $100,000 annually in new revenue.