Three candidates faced off in the primary election for Auburn City Council Position No. 5. With fewer votes left to count than needed to close the gap between Anthony Ase and Ryan Burnett, it is clear that Burnett and Robyn Mulenga will be facing off in the November general election.
“[There are] an estimated 600 votes left to count and I am 800 votes behind. Congrats to Ryan and Robyn for moving on to the general election,” Ase stated on his campaign Facebook page Tuesday night. “26% of the votes on my first election bid isn’t bad, though. I’m proud to say that I will continue to speak my truth and not cowtow(sic) to curry votes. If what I have to say resonates with you next time I run, then I hope you vote for me again. Thank you for supporting me on this first attempt.”
Knowing he is advancing to the general election, Burnett expanded on his original election night thoughts, “I am extremely excited to be moving on to the general elections. I have to say that I was overwhelmed by the voters’ response to my efforts, much higher margin than I expected. Clearly, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Expect to see me out on the streets, knocking on doors and connecting with the citizens of our city.”
“I am also fortunate enough to have a team of volunteers willing to help me knock on doors and pass out brochures with my main platform points, as well as, my Facebook and email address on them,” Burnett continued. “I want to hear from our people. I know what issues are important to me and the people in my neighborhood, and I have a good idea of some of the issues that Auburn has, but I want to hear from more of our citizens, I want them to guide me in in the council’s decision-making process.”
Burnett was among several candidates present at this weekend’s Auburnfest and Auburn Days Parade. “This weekend was a great example of what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. I was able to connect, personally, with many of Auburn’s residents. I was even able to forge some very important relationships, as I was given the chance to speak freely and answer questions on a one on one basis, rather than a general article, limited by word space, in a local publication,” said Burnett.