DULUTH – A single vote separates two Duluth City Council candidates, according to initial results from Tuesday's primary election, with Tim Meyer currently keeping Ashlie Castaldo off November's ballot for an at-large seat on the council.
The low-turnout primary for four seats saw both incumbents advance to the general election and the race for two open seats narrow.
About 6,900 votes were cast for a turnout of 12.4%, according to unofficial results Tuesday night, which included 582 accepted absentee ballots. There were 55,723 registered voters as of Tuesday morning.
Two at-large City Council seats drew eight candidates. Advancing to November's ballot are Azrin Awal, who took 24.1% of the vote; incumbent Terese Tomanek, who had 23.7%; and Joe Macor, who drew 21.2%.
The fourth candidate that will appear on all ballots in November was too close to call Tuesday night as Meyer was leading Castaldo by a single vote. Both had roughly 8.1% of the vote.
In the Second District, which covers a large swath of northern and eastern Duluth centering around the East Hillside, Mike Mayou will take on Dave Zbaracki in a race to replace Joel Sipress, who is not seeking a third term.
Mayou received more than 62% of the vote. Zbaracki took 19% and managed to edge Andrew Jarocki by a few dozen votes, according to preliminary results.
In the Fourth District, which represents the Lincoln Park, Piedmont and Duluth Heights neighborhoods, Council President Renee Van Nett is set for a rematch with former Council Member Howie Hanson. Van Nett unseated Hanson in 2017 in a close race.
