© 1997 Palo Alto Online. All Rights Reserved.
But those results are "semi-official" and may well change over the next few days as late absentee ballots are counted, election officials said.
Incumbent Del R. Krause was the top vote-getter and appeared to have won re-election receiving 3,150 votes (25.9 percent). Incumbent Margaret "Peg" Gunn also won with 3,114 votes (25.6 percent).
Four candidates, including three incumbents, split the low voting turnout evenly, with just a few percentage points to distinguish them from one another. Newcomer Spencer, who is 39, received 2,961 votes (24.9 percent) and was holding a slight lead over incumbent Boeddiker, 76, who had 2,953 votes (23 percent).
Election officials said Tuesday night that the official results might not be released until as late as Thursday. The final count of absentee ballots and provisional ballots could well make a difference in such a close race, they said.
The next few days will be nail-biting for Spencer, but he was celebrating Tuesday night anyway because the election coincided with his 39th birthday. Spencer said he would probably wait until the results were official until he celebrated the election.
Boeddiker, who has served on the fire protection board for four years, expressed disappointment at the results Tuesday night.
"I don't know what I did wrong," he said. "I think it was the age that brought the young man in."
At 39, Spencer was the youngest candidate in the race by 20 years. At 76, Boeddiker was probably the oldest candidate (former Menlo Park mayor Peg Gunn refused to reveal her age.)
Spencer said that he has youth and a fresh perspective on his side, and added that he doesn't come with any preconceived notions about the position on the board. He has worked in the emergency services for more than 15 years--as a firefighter, paramedic, safety officer and manager. And he has lived in Menlo Park for the last 12 years. He stood in the election to provide voters with a choice of candidates in a race that often goes unopposed, he said.
"I'm not going to charge in and be a crusader," he said. "I'm going to collect data and information and make sure we're wise in the way we utilize our budget."
The Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which serves 80,000 residents in Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and unincorporated San Mateo County has just embarked on the final phase of a $6.8 million upgrade of its seven fire stations. On Monday, the district opened a new station in East Menlo Park on schedule and under budget.
--Vicky Anning
© 1997 Palo Alto Online. All Rights Reserved.