Rowse ready to take over Mayor’s seat in Santa Barbara when final 3912 votes are counted

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A sweeping majority of the voters in Tuesday's election want Randy Rowse to be the Mayor of Santa Barbara, and he is on hold for another day before the final ballots are in and the results are in.

The full certification comes next, and that usually takes a few weeks.

City Clerk Sarah Gorman released said in a news release:

There are an estimated 4,612 more ballots to be processed and counted Citywide. These include ballots cast at drop boxes after 10:00 a.m. on Election Day and cast all day Election Day at Voter Service Centers. Of this total:

• 460 are vote by mail ballots returned at Voter Service Centers; 
• 3,912 are drop box ballots;
• 42 are provisional ballots; and
• 198 are no signature and signature mismatches that can be cured by voters during the canvass.

The next election results update is expected by Thursday, November 4, at 4:00 p.m. Results will be available at Sbcvote.com

Rowse came away with 7895 votes followed by James Joyce III with 5072.

For Rowse he realizes the job required many people pulling in the same direction. "Doing it right is going to take a team effort and team collaboration and it is going to take more than meetings, and committees and  consultants, " he said.

Incumbent Mayor Cathy Murillo had 4769 votes. She said outside of City Hall while looking at the results, "I still have two months in office." She plans to celebrates her nine years on the council.

Rowse says the focus will not be on party links or political issues. "but Santa Barbara, and that will be the big difference that people have been waiting for."

He plans to meet with councilmembers including the returning winners, now with five year terms, Meghan Harmon,  Kristin Sneddon and Eric Friedman. "Hopefully by the time we get into office in January we will develop a sense of teamwork and comradeship that will go forward and  really help to get the things done in the city that need to get done."

In one of his most passionate statements about the future Rowse said, "I want the locals to say I am so proud of my city.  I love showing State Street to my friends.  I  love coming  down to State Street and doing these things.  I love going to Milpas street,  I love doing all these things.  Being at the beach being at the waterfront  because it is my city.  It is the jewel of the South Coast."