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Just when you thought it was over, Berkeley’s election season, it appears, will continue. 

With nearly all the votes counted Wednesday, moderate 8th District City Council candidate Gordon Wozniak fell just short of the 45 percent threshold required to avoid a run-off for the seat, taking 42 percent of the vote. Progressive-backed UC Berkeley graduate student Andy Katz finished second at 36 percent in a four-way race to succeed retiring council moderate Polly Armstrong. 

Now voters in the 8th District, which stretches south of the UC Berkeley campus, will choose between Wozniak and Katz in an election that will help shape the political contours of a sharply-divided City Council. 

Before Tuesday, Berkeley’s progressive faction held a 5-4 edge over the moderates. On Election Day, the left built on its majority. Progressive incumbents won re-election in Districts 1, 4 and 7 and progressive mayoral candidate Tom Bates thumped moderate incumbent Shirley Dean. Berkeley’s mayor sits on the City Council, and with Bates in place, the progressives will have at least a 6-3 advantage. A Katz victory would increase the majority to 7-2. 

Moderates are intent on securing a Wozniak victory and avoiding a 7-2 progressive edge. 

“I think it would be a pity to have such an overwhelming progressive majority,” said moderate City Councilmember Miriam Hawley, who did not face re-election this year. “We need some balance on the council.” 

Katz and Wozniak play down the moderate-progressive divide. Both argue that they will work as independent officials, cooperating with council members of all political stripes and focusing on nuts-and-bolts issues like housing and safety. But, just a day into the new campaign, Berkeley’s political schism is already playing a role. 

“I think there is certainly a large constituency in my district and other districts that deserve representation – what the press calls the ‘moderates,’” Wozniak said. “I think it’s important that we keep this seat in the moderate column.” 

Katz, for his part, said the progressive gains in this year’s election demonstrate that Berkeley voters “want a change,” arguing that he can be a part of that change. He also suggested that his ties to the progressive majority would help him deliver for the district. 

“Certainly having support from the mayor-elect and five members of the council shows that my working relationships with them will help me bring back the best for District 8,” he said. 

Human rights consultant Anne Wagley finished third in the 8th District race, with 19 percent of the vote, and observers say the runoff between Wozniak and Katz could turn on which candidate wins over Wagley supporters. 

Precinct-by-precinct vote totals were not yet available Wednesday, so it was difficult to tell if Wagley’s support came from tenants, homeowners, students or some combination. Wagley, who ran a centrist campaign focused on improved public process, said Wednesday that her support is broad-based. 

She said she will probably endorse Katz or Wozniak, but declined to tip her hand. Wagley was closer to Katz on several campaign issues and the UC Berkeley student said he would push Wagley’s concerns if elected. 

“The issues Anne brought up in the race are very important to me – fiscal accountability and openness in government,” Katz said. 

But Wozniak argued that Katz’s constituency is among students, while he probably split the residential vote with Wagley. Wozniak, who has pushed the concerns of small homeowners in the campaign, suggested that residential voters will naturally gravitate toward his candidacy. 

Voter participation will be a key factor in the run-off. Just over 4,000 8th District voters participated in the Tuesday election, although the number may rise by a few hundred when the final absentee and provisional ballots are counted, said City Clerk Sherry Kelly. She added that participation usually drops by about one half in Berkeley run-off elections, predicting that roughly 2,000 voters will cast ballots.  

The 8th District run-off voting will be conducted by mail, with ballots scheduled to arrive in mailboxes on Nov. 15 or 16. Voters will have until Dec. 3 to mail back or drop off their ballots. 

Katz said the chief hurdle in mobilizing his supporters will be simply letting them know that there is a run-off and ensuring that they don’t accidentally throw away ballots. But, the candidate may face the additional hurdles of student malaise and a run-off that will coincide with finals season at UC Berkeley. 

Wozniak said he had not yet devised a “get out the vote” strategy for the run-off, but suggested that a mail-in campaign might require a different tack than the general election. 

Contact reporter at scharfenberg@berkeleydailyplanet.net