Esquivel, Van Nostran apparent winners in March 6 city council election

Based on the Lakewood City Clerk’s unofficial tally of election returns from the March 6 General Municipal Election, incumbent city council members Joseph Esquivel and Larry Van Nostran have been re-elected. They competed for two city council seats against challengers John R. Nelson, Jr. and Marty Schuster.

The two leading candidates received these unofficial totals:

• Larry Van Nostran – 3,260 votes
• Joseph Esquivel – 3,196 votes

The unofficial vote total includes all 14 precincts plus all absentee and provisional ballots. The turnout is estimated at 12 percent of Lakewood's 41,272 registered voters. Absentee balloting played a significant role in the March 6 election. More than 50 percent of all ballots cast were mailed in by absentee voters.

The City Clerk’s official "canvass” of the March 6 election will be presented to the city council on March 27. Following city council approval of the canvass, the two council members will be sworn in. Lakewood City Council Members serve four-year terms that are staggered, with an election every two years.

Unofficial vote totals (with candidates' names order of the election returns):