Ferguson widens his lead in race for county council

King County Councilman Bob Ferguson took a strong lead yesterday, virtually guaranteeing his victory in what had been an extremely close re-election contest against fellow council member and Democrat Carolyn Edmonds.

Representatives of both campaigns said Edmonds had called Ferguson, conceding the Democratic primary. She could not be reached for comment.

In November, Ferguson will face Republican Steven Pyeatt, a Bothell-area businessman and activist who has pushed for rules on homeless encampments.

The ballots gave Ferguson a 1,070-vote lead, by far the largest either candidate has held in an election that swung back and forth from one candidate to the other almost on a daily basis since last Tuesday's primary.

With a dwindling number of absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted, Ferguson had 52 percent of the vote, Edmonds 48 percent.

Redistricting forced Ferguson and Edmonds to run against each other for re-election because of voters' decision last year to eliminate four positions from the 13-member Metropolitan King County Council. The new 1st District includes Shoreline, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Bothell and much of Northeast Seattle.

"It's the triumph of grass-roots politics. She had the money and the endorsements, but at the end of the day there's no substitute for grass-roots politics," Ferguson said.

Ferguson, who two years ago toppled County Council Chairwoman and 20-year council member Cynthia Sullivan by knocking on the homes of more than 20,000 voters, repeated that strategy, visiting 15,000 homes this year.

Edmonds, like Sullivan, enjoyed the support of many top Democratic politicians, including County Executive Ron Sims and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

Ferguson was able to turn her role as an insider to his advantage, saying a more independent-minded council member would make a better policy-maker.

The campaign turned negative quickly, with the first accusations thrown by Edmonds, who portrayed Ferguson as an opponent of transit and an advocate of giving developers "a larger voice" in county government.

Ferguson shot back with claims that she ignored problems in the county's elections office and blasted her for accepting gas-mileage payments based on "guesstimates" of the miles she had traveled.

The candidates also tangled over Ferguson's proposal to put a property-tax levy for veterans on the November ballot; she favored a broader social-services ballot next year.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com