Status Quo: A candidate favored by the business community heads to victory in a contested Salinas council race; incumbents poised to win too.

In the backyard of Salinas City Council candidate Andrew Sandoval’s North Salinas home, about three dozen supporters gathered around patio heaters and fire pits, noshing on catered tacos and talking about the future.

Sandoval, who owns a bridal supply store, has amassed a following that included community college students who never knew anyone would listen to their concerns and elderly neighbors who went door-to-door to campaign for him.

“You don’t see a lot of things getting done for people who are like us and who live like we do,” says Kenya Burton, a Hartnell Community College student who just turned 18 and led a group of high school students in campaigning for Sandoval. “What called to me is Andrew’s perspective of what’s happening in this district. Once you know the struggle, as he does, it’s easier to join him.”

A few miles away, Sandoval opponent Christie Cromeenes’ supporters had also gathered for tacos, at a strip mall restaurant on North Main Street. But if Sandoval’s followers were everyday people, Cromeenes’ supporters were a different crowd: former Police Chief Kelly McMillin, Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paul Farmer and Councilmember Kimbley Craig were all on hand. At one point, architect Peter Kasavan wandered up and handed Cromeenes a sealed envelope with a message she should use what was enclosed to help pay for her campaign.

“Yeah, I have a few things to pay for,” she said.

By 10pm, as the Elections Department updated its results, it looked likely that establishment would win out over grassroots. Of Sandoval and Cromeenes, the two running to take over the District 5 seat Craig will vacate when her term is up, Cromeenes was maintaining a steady and healthy lead, with 1,186 votes to Sandoval’s 985. Those numbers, though, only reflected 23.6 percent of the votes.

If her lead holds, and she wins the race, Cromeenes says she plans on spending her first days in office meeting more constituents and ferreting out their concerns.

“I think I know what those concerns are, but we also need to figure out fiscally responsible ways to deal with them,” says Cromeenes, the executive director of the Central Coast Builders Association. “How do we deal with all of the empty buildings in North Salinas, for example? I think people are worried about that, and about traffic and infrastructure—the sidewalks and roads. I know I am.”

Infrastructure and traffic: Those were the same concerns listed by Sandoval, who also says affordable housing and overcrowding were on his mind during the campaign. And as the city gears up to spend about $10 million on revamping the streets and sidewalks on Main Street in its downtown core, Sandoval wonders why nobody is fighting for North Salinas to get the same consideration, economic and otherwise.

“There’s downtown revitalization, but there’s no Alvin Square revitalization. There are businesses here too and nobody’s trying to help them out,” he says. “It’s the difference between wants and needs. Let’s take care of the needs first and then we can get to the wants.”

The District 5 race was the only council race in Salinas lacking an incumbent. In the other races, for mayor and two other council seats, those incumbents appeared to be taking an easy walk to victory.

As of the 10pm Monterey County Elections Department update, incumbent Mayor Joe Gunter had pulled firmly ahead of challenger Amit Pandya, with 9,513 votes to Pandya’s 3,730. At a small gathering of supporters at the Grower’s Pub in Oldtown, Gunter, a retired Salinas Police detective, said when the new councilmember for District 5 takes office, the council has to pull together.

“We have to get them to work as a team and that’s the most important part. We have to be working together, and put aside all the personal and political business and figure out what we’re going to do for the people in the districts,” Gunter says. “What I heard from constituents as I knocked on doors is, ‘sidewalks, trees, roadways and what do we have going for the youth?’”

Councilmember Tony Barrera, long-time holder of the District 2 seat, was ahead of challenger Anthony Lane, a local businessman and owner of the Fox Theater, with 930 votes to Lane’s 321. Barrera spent most of his night on the dais, along with Gunter and his fellow councilmembers at the regularly scheduled council meeting, then planned on heading home after.

Not so for Councilman Steve McShane, who was ahead of challenger Nona Childress, a soil biologist, in the District 3 race. McShane, owner of a landscape supply business, had racked up 3,245 votes to Childress’ 1,566. McShane, who spent his post-council meeting election night with dozens of supporters at a home in Maple Park, echoed Gunter’s team-building sentiment.

“I’m a personable guy and sometimes I’m criticized for being too personable. But there are bigs shoes to fill when Kimbley Craig leaves us,” he said. “We need to understand each other and get to know each other and work and play well with the others for the good of the city.”