UPDATE | Aaron Laing narrowed the already razor-thin advantage of John Stokes in the race for Grant Degginger’s City Council seat, according to the latest election results released Tuesday. A week after initial results were released, the Laing and Stokes race remains too close to call. As of Tuesday, Stokes held a microscopic 79-vote lead, or a .29 percent advantage. Stokes initially led by approximately 120 votes, and that lead expanded to 140 before sinking Tuesday.

The vote could even lead to a manual recount. According to King County elections, recounts are triggered when a race is separated by less than 150 votes, and a quarter percent of the vote.

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The race to replace departing City Council Member Grant Degginger is nearly deadlocked, and incumbents in other races are leading after the latest batch of tallied votes were released Monday.

In one of the closest races in the state, retired attorney, and current member of the Parks and Community Services Board John Stokes holds a slim 79-vote lead over land use attorney Aaron Laing. Incumbents Claudia Balducci and John Chelminiak both garnered approximately two-thirds of the vote in their races.

Stokes, Chelminiak and Balducci celebrated their position together at a party downtown at Tap House Bar and Grill. In front of a small crowd of supporters, cheers rained down as the votes were read aloud by campaign managers.

Just a couple blocks away Laing, Patti Mann and Michelle Hilhorst gave impassioned speeches thanking their volunteers for all the time and effort they put in on the respective campaigns.

Council Member Jennifer Robertson ran unopposed, garnering 97 percent of the vote.

POSITION 1

Aaron Laing – 13,798 votes, 49.72 percent

John Stokes – 13,877 votes, 50.01 percent

Both Stokes and Laing were prepared for a very close race entering Tuesday night. As the votes were tallied both candidates knew that they’d be in it for the long haul. Laing said he felt all along that the margin of victory for either candidate wouldn’t exceed a 52 to 48 type of result.

Stokes was enthused with his early lead, and he said his campaign put forth a big last-minute voting effort, so he believes future tallies may widen his slim lead.

“I’m obviously very glad to be leading at this stage, and we’ll just pick it up from here,” Stokes said.

Laing was very proud of the race he ran, and the effort put in by volunteers. He was glad to receive very positive reactions from the people who met along the campaign trail. Laing’s bid for City Council his first crack at civic representation, but he told a crowd of supporters Tuesday that he’s got “the bug” for service.

This race will likely take days, if not weeks to sort out, but Laing is happy with his position so far in the race.

“I knew it would be a close race, and I feel great,” he said.

POSITION 3

John Chelminiak – 18,921 votes, 68.19 percent

Michelle Hilhorst – 8,829 votes, 31.74 percent

City Council Member John Chelminiak is well on his way to securing a third term in office following the first vote count. Chelminiak saw his, and Balducci’s leads in the face of a “very concerted campaign on their records” as a mandate from the people as to the direction of the city.

“They understand the future of this city, and they support the people who have that vision,” Chelminiak said.

For Hilhorst, an executive at AT&T, the loss was tough to stomach. Not for her, but for the people who put their time, effort and faith into her campaign and her ideals.

“This is not a personal loss for me,” Hilhorst passionately told supporters while fighting back tears. “It’s a loss for the people I was running for.”

POSITION 5

Claudia Balducci – 18,408 votes, 65.57 percent

Patti Mann –  9,606 votes, 34.22 percent

In what many predicted would be a very close race, incumbent Claudia Balducci held nearly a two to one edge over challenger Patti Mann when the first batch of votes were released. Balducci said the campaign was different from any she’d faced before, but she was proud of her supporters.

“I think we ran a strong campaign, and the voters responded,” she said.

Mann, a Seattle firefighter, said she ran to do her part in making Bellevue as good as it can be. She told her supporters to continue working to realize their visions of the city’s future, and she will as well.

“It was humbling to have all the support we had,” Mann said.

POSITION 7

Jennifer Robertson – 20,584 votes, 97.71 percent

Write-in – 483 votes, 2.29 percent