It came down to the wire in Ward 2.
When all was said and done, DFLer Paul Zerby came out the victor against Green Party candidate Cam Gordon in the second-tightest race this year for a seat on the Minneapolis City Council.
“I hope I can merit the confidence given to me and do a good job,” Zerby said.
Zerby took home 50.77 percent (2,597) of the votes; Gordon garnered 48.66 percent (2,489). Ward 2 includes much of the University’s Minneapolis campus and parts of the Como, Marcy-Holmes and Prospect Park neighborhoods.
Results are unofficial until
certified sometime Wednesday.
Zerby’s family and friends gathered in his Prospect Park home to await the results. Many attendants were optimistic, greeting Zerby with, “Hello Councilman.”
“I thought it might be close, but I didn’t think it would be this close,” Zerby said.
A close race was expected after Zerby’s narrow victory in the primaries.
“(Gordon) ran a hard campaign – it was very close,” Zerby said.
Zerby, a University graduate and retired lawyer, has lived in the Prospect Park neighborhood for the past 29 years.
He’s been an active board member in the Prospect Park improvement association and Neighborhood Revitalization Program committees.
Gordon attributed Zerby’s win partially to his affiliation with a larger, high-profile party. He said he was excited for the Green Party’s other wins in the election.
Supporters erupted with excitement at the Blue Nile, Green Party campaign headquarters, at approximately 9 p.m. when a supporter mistakenly heard Gordon had won. Gordon swung his arms around family and friends as most people cheered, until they found out the supporter had misheard.
Gordon, a founding member of the Green Party of Minnesota, advocated collecting more racial
profiling data, banning dangerous lawn chemicals, funding affordable housing, halting airport expansion and increasing funding for city development programs.
Gordon said he and his staff spent most of Monday and Tuesday campaigning on the University campus and in Dinkytown.
The University graduate and lifelong Seward neighborhood resident said he plans to spend more time with his family and the day care center he owns.
Throughout the election Gordon and Zerby maintained a friendly relationship, often shaking hands and chatting with each other before debates. Gordon said he wished Zerby well.
