DEMOCRATS REGAIN MAJORITY ON LEMON GROVE COUNCIL
By Miriam Raftery
November 8, 2012 (Lemon Grove) – The election of Racquel Vasquez and reelection of George Gastil restores a Democratic majority to the Lemon Grove City Council. Vasquez won 29.30% of the votes cast, followed by Gastil with 23.01%.
“Racquel is a breath of fresh air,” said Gastil, who called the election of Vasquez, an African-American woman, “historic. She is the first person who is not white to be elected to the Council—and she comes in first place, which is a testament to her involvement in the community.”
Asked how great a difference the shift in majority will make in Lemon Grove, a city that lost its recreation department due to budget cuts, a move Gastil opposed, he replied, “Time will tell.”
“IT was a lot of work. We put an aggressive effort into reaching out to voters,” said Vasquez, who began her campaign a year and a half ago.
Vasqez told ECM that after talking with people in Lemon Grove, she has focused on “three things I plan to champion”: quality neighborhoods, public safety and economic development.
Final results:
RACQUEL VASQUEZ |
2738 |
29.30% |
GEORGE GASTIL |
2150 |
23.01% |
MATT MENDOZA |
1485 |
15.89% |
LOU MELENDEZ |
1173 |
12.55% |
MICHAEL RICHARDS |
985 |
10.54% |
MARK GRACYK |
813 |
8.70% |