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Update November 16, 2022 – This race has tightened further, with the top three candidates in a near dead heat for the two Council seats. Only 49 votes separate Dillard, who is in the lead, from Lothian in second, while just 31 votes separate Lothian from Afshan, who is currently in third. Countywide, 80,000 votes remain to be tallied, though the Registrar has not disclosed how many are in La Mesa.
If Lothian squeaks out a win and Afshan fails to win a seat, it will likely be due in part to Brand, a Democrat who withdrew from the race too late to remove her name from the ballot, likely drawing votes away from fellow Democrats Afshan and Dillard, the party-endorsed candidates. Lothian was endorsed by Republicans. Though the race is officially nonpartisan, both parties sent mailers urging voters to party-backed candidates.
November 15, 2022 (La Mesa) – The latest election returns from the County Registrar of Voters show that Patricia Dillard has taken the lead over Councilmember Laura Lothian, with Mejgan Afshan a close third. The top two vote-getters will win the seats.
Currently, Dillard has 8,165 votes, or 23.97% of those tallied—just 149 votes more than Lothian. Lothian has 8,016 votes, or 23.53%, while Afshan has 7,885, or 23.15%, just 131 votes fewer than Lothian.
Two other candidates, Tony Orlando and Kathleen Brand, remain a distance fourth and fifth. Orlando has 6,291 votes or 18.47%, while Brand, who dropped out of the race too late to be removed from the ballot, has 3,710 votes or 10.89%.
Countywide, 83,590 ballots have been counted, but it is unclear how many remain in La Mesa. Since election night, when the count included primarily early mail-in ballots, later ballots have reduced Lothian’s count and boosted Afshan’s.
In the Mayor race, however, incumbent Mark Arapostathis continues to maintain a solid lead over Kristine Alessio. Arapostathis has 10,747 votes, or 55.83%, while Alessio has 8,501 votes, or 44.17%.
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