Both incumbents tossed out in District 4

Residents of College Park’s District 4 resoundingly voted to throw out their two city council members in yesterday’s election, but other incumbents held their seats in races marked by unusually high numbers of contestants and voters.

Marcus Afzali, a 24-year-old government and politics doctoral student, and Denise Mitchell, former chairwoman of the city’s education advisory committee, defeated three-year incumbent Mary Cook and eight-year incumbent Karen Hampton in the district that includes most of western College Park, including parts of North Campus, Knox Box housing and University Courtyards.

Challengers in Districts 2 and 3 failed to attract a significant slice of the votes cast: Landlord Bob Weber got 39 percent in District 2, and teacher Bob McCeney netted just 23 percent of voters in District 3.

A third new face joins the city council from District 1, as Christine Nagle was elected alongside incumbent Patrick Wojahn in a five-way race. Nagle will fill the seat vacated by Jonathan Molinatto, who did not seek a second term.

“We should have some continuity and experience but also some new blood and new energy — a good mix,” said former District 1 Councilman Dave Milligan, who served as an emcee discussing the race with candidates and other city residents while city election workers tallied the votes.

More than 1,400 city residents turned out for yesterday’s election — more than 10 percent of the city’s registered voters compared to just 7 percent in the 2007 elections.

This year, 16 candidates contested every race but the mayor’s. Former District 3 Councilman Andy Fellows collected 1,161 votes as the only candidate to replace Steve Brayman, who is stepping down after four two-year terms.

Student leaders said their get-out-the-vote efforts seem to have produced a greatly improved student turnout over 2007, when city officials estimate only 25 to 50 students voted. About 80 students participated in a rally culminating in City Hall organized by UMD for Clean Energy, a campus environmental group that interviewed and endorsed council candidates, the group’s leaders said. Of that group, it is not clear how many voted in the elections.

Student Government Association President Steve Glickman pegged the total student turnout as in line with the 200 its organizers had hoped for, crediting the SGA’s own get-out-the-vote efforts.

The SGA drove about 15 student voters to the polls, officials said, but Glickman said that although he lacked hard numbers, he believed dozens of students also made their way to the polls on their own.

District 1, in student-sparse northeast College Park, saw by far the highest voter turnout: 583 residents, or 16 percent of registered voters. District 2 — which includes most of the campus, the University View and many student rental houses — saw just 173 ballots cast, or a turnout of less than 5 percent of registered voters.

Two District 4 candidates seemed caught off guard by the outcomes of the race there. Mitchell said she thought she was being kidded when Afzali called her to congratulate “council member Mitchell,” and Cook said she had not expected to lose.

“I have to say I am surprised after all the years of work that I have put in trying to move the city forward,” Cook said in an interview moments after the results were announced, and questioned the fate of her efforts toward long-term planning in College Park when her district’s two council members are relatively unfamiliar with many issues.

Afzali credited his win to the “energy” he displayed in his campaigning, knocking on doors and speaking to as many residents as he could. He added he will reach out to the ousted incumbents to try to benefit from their knowledge.

In campaigning, he and Mitchell had portrayed Cook and Hampton as out of touch; the incumbents had said the challengers hadn’t demonstrated enough commitment to the city.

In District 2, the city’s two longest-serving incumbents — Bob Catlin and Jack Perry — had stuck with messages that had kept them on the council each for more than a decade. Weber’s message that their methods were failing did not resonate with many voters.

In District 3, Mark Cook and Stephanie Stullich crushed McCeney, who had criticized the city’s rent control policy and accused Cook of stifling debate.

The election results will not be finalized until tomorrow, when absentee ballots are counted for the first time and the other paper ballots are re-tallied. However, no race is so close that the recount is likely to change any outcome.

bholt at umdbk dot com