With just 63 more votes than his opponent, former Cupertino Planning Commissioner Ray Wang appears to have won a spot on the City Council, ending a lengthy contest — that included a recount — against Rod Sinks to fill the second open seat.
Wang finished the contest with 7,641 votes, or 18.5% of the vote while Sinks got 7,578 votes or 18.4% of the vote as of Tuesday. The numbers come as a recount by the Santa Clara County Register of Voters ended on Monday, the county confirmed. The final results will be certified on Thursday.
“We’re super excited, it shows how every vote counts,” Wang said. “We do the hard work, we read the stuff. I’m really looking forward to working with (Moore). Our goal is to bring the community together.”
Sinks said he is disappointed by the loss, but looks forward to serving on other nonprofit boards and “contributing to the community in different ways.”
A recount is triggered when the margin of victory between two candidates is less than 0.25% of all ballots cast, or less than 25 votes. A candidate only needs to win by a simple majority once a recount is finished. The Cupertino candidates were previously separated by 65 votes, which the Register of Voters recognizes as meeting the 0.25% requirement.
Wang will join incumbent Councilmember Kitty Moore in leading the city for the next four years. Moore won the first seat with 10,344 votes or 25.14% of the vote. Moore and Wang ran on a joint platform to promote a “resident first” council by advocating for more fiscal accountability and responsible development in the city. Moore refers to herself as a “smart watch dog” when it comes to dealing with council affairs and proposed new city developments.
Sinks ran a campaign aimed at expanding transportation services and eco-friendly practices in the city. He also advocated for turning The Rise, the site of the former Vallco Mall, into a vibrant business-friendly downtown for Cupertino. Sinks and Councilmember Hung Wei closely supported each other during the race, which was complicated by Wei’s stage four lung cancer diagnosis.
“We ran a very strong campaign,” Sinks said. “Unfortunately for two people, we’re running against five people for the two seats.”
Sinks said he is concerned at how the newly-elected leaders will impact the city’s developments plans for The Rise and downtown areas. Mayor Sheila Mohan, Vice Mayor J.R. Fruen and Wei have favored pro-development. But with the addition of Moore and Wang, who have been more critical of council approval of large projects, the city’s leaders could embark on a less development-friendly route.
Aside from Sinks, Moore and Wang, four other candidates were in the race to fill Cupertino’s two open council seats this election season, including incumbent Wei, former mayors Gilbert Wong and Barry Chang and political newcomer Claudio Bono.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Ray Wang had won the second City Council seat. The Register of Voters has not finalized the recount votes, and the final results are expected to run on Thursday, Dec. 5.
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