By Stephen Floyd
Incumbents were winning the elections for Mt. Angel City Council after an initial vote count, though it was a close race for third place on election night.
As of Nov. 8 at 10 p.m., city councilors Matthew Donohue, Ray Eder and Tony Astorga were leading with 590, 564 and 377 votes, respectively, with three council seats at stake.
Still in contention was challenger Joseph Pfau, with 372 votes, who just needed six more votes to overtake Astorga.
Rounding out the count were Justin Roney, with 320 votes, and Mary Franklin, with 273 votes.
Ballots will continue to be counted through Nov. 15 under Oregon’s new rule allowing ballots postmarked by election day, so vote totals could change until then. Election results will not become official until they are certified by Dec. 6.
When Our Town reached out for comment on election night, Donohue was not available. He is about to finish his first term after being elected in 2018.
Eder said he was grateful to a community that trusted him enough to grant a fifth term on the council.
“I’m happy,” he said. “I’m willing to serve the Mt. Angel community for another four years.”
Astorga said it felt good to receive voter support, as his term on the council began with an appointment in 2021 when the-Councilor Don Fleck was elected mayor.
“I feel like I am trying my best to represent [voters] and what they think about issues that pertain to them in town,” he said.
When asked about the close race for third place, Astorga said he would continue being involved in the city council even if he did not win.
“What I plan on doing is attending the council meetings when certain subjects come up and not be a thorn in their side but hold them accountable and hold their feet to the fire,” he said.
Pfau said he still hopes the election turns his way, but if not he may seek another path to the council such as applying for the seat recently vacated by Pete Wall.
Wall was appointed to fill the remaining term of Fleck after the late mayor died suddenly in June. On Nov. 8, Wall was elected to a full mayoral term unopposed.
Pfau said, even without a win, he felt grateful to receive so much voter support while running against three incumbents with deep ties to the community.
“Even though I haven’t been here as long, I’ve been part of the community for almost 15 years now,” he said. “I support the issues that I feel that resonate with the majority of the town.”
Roney also said he intends to pursue Wall’s vacant seat, or another avenue to join the council. When reflecting on the tight race for third place, Roney said he sees this as a sign voters want change on the council.
“I think it goes to show that people in Mt. Angel want to see some new people and hear some new voices,” he said.
Franklin could not be reached for comment on election night.
Vote Tally on Election Night
Mayor
Pete Wall 736 (100.00%)
City Council (3 open seats)
Matthew Donohue: 590 (23.64%)
Ray Eder: 564 (22.60%)
Tony Astorga: 377 (15.10%)
Joseph Pfau: 372 (14.90%)
Justin Roney: 320 (12.82%)
Mary Franklin: 273 (10.94%)
