One of the two Jewish U.C. Berkeley students running for city council remains in the hunt after Tuesday’s elections, as 22-year-old Andy Katz forced retired scientist Gordon Wozniak into a runoff.
For 18-year-old Micki Weinberg, the night did not go so well. He couldn’t unseat incumbent District 7 council member Kriss Worthington, who rode to victory in a big night for the city’s progressive faction. Tom Bates thrashed two-term incumbent Shirley Dean for the mayor’s seat, swinging control of the city council away from Berkeley’s moderates.
Weinberg, who polled 40 percent, hoped his close call would inspire future student candidates.
Meanwhile, in District 8, Anne Wagley’s 19 percent take ensured neither Katz nor Wozniak could poll the necessary 45 percent needed to avoid a runoff.
Katz conceded that an outright win on Election Day was a remote possibility in a three-way race. Registered voters will now be mailed a ballot that must be returned no later than Dec. 3.
Katz feels the runoff is “a mixed bag.”
“On the one hand, you have the convenience of voting by mail,” said Katz, a U.C. alumnus who is currently enrolled in the university’s graduate studies program in city and regional planning.
“On the other hand, runoff ballots can get lost in the mail. Sometimes people throw them away without knowing what they are.”
Katz acknowledges it will be critical for him to engage Wagley’s voters and prove that he’s more than just a student candidate. He hopes the endorsement of six members of the city council will help in this task.
“Nobody thought Andy had a chance to win, and he’s within striking range,” said Worthington. “If he works as hard in the next couple of months as he has in the last few years, he could pull off the biggest upset of the decade.”