BEAVERTON, Ore. — There were several close, competitive races in the Portland metro are this election, including the race for Beaverton and Lake Oswego mayors.
Change is coming to the two towns, where voters sent two new mayors to office.
KGW caught up with both Lacey Beaty, Beaverton's new mayor, and Joe Buck, Lake Oswego's new mayor, on Thursday.
Beaverton
Beaty, a Beaverton city councilor, beat three-term incumbent Denny Doyle, making her the first woman to serve as the city's mayor.
"I really see my role as team captain of the city council and I'm excited to move our priorities forward," Beaty told KGW.
The Army veteran wants to improve communication between government and the people it serves.
"People want to feel heard, they want to feel seen, and making that connection to people is one of the reasons why I won," Beaty added.
Right out of the gate she plans to start a climate action committee to address climate change. In working with advisers, she wants to reimagine public safety and policing and improve the city's public transportation system and infrastructure.
"Creating a plan is simply not good enough if there's no way for us to hold ourselves accountable," Beaty said.
When she takes over in January, Beaty's role will look different than the "strong mayor" role Beaverton has had for decades. Beaverton voters passed a new charter in May starting a council-manager form of government.
Lake Oswego
In Lake Oswego, four fresh faces will join city council, Including mayor-elect and local restaurant owner Joe Buck.
Born and raised in Lake Oswego, Buck is no stranger to city council - he served on council from 2014-2018.
Buck won a three-person race this election against two current council members.
"We're now seating the youngest, most diverse city council the city has ever had," Buck told KGW. "I was so proud to have a group of young student volunteers running my campaign."
Buck campaigned on a new way forward for Lake Oswego and wants to build sustainability, environmental stewardship and preserve the city's beautiful open spaces. He also plans to focus on racial diversity.
"The Lake Oswego community has spoken loud and clear. We're looking to change the reputation of our town, that we're a community where love will prevail and make sure everyone is welcome," Buck said, "where we have a very inclusive and equitable community moving forward. We’re looking forward to a new day for Lake Oswego."
Buck expects city council to establish a permanent advisory board centering on equity and inclusion in January.
Buck says, to him, success means ensuring everyone is heard: from the members of council to community members. He plans to bring in groups that city council hasn't traditionally connected with in the past.
Gresham
More than a week after Election Day, the race for Gresham's next mayor between Travis Stovall and Eddy Morales is still too close to call.
Long-time mayor Shane Bemis resigned in June and councilwoman Karylinn Echols is serving as interim mayor.
Just 104 votes separate Stovall and Morales as of Monday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. But the race may not be decided by ballots that are already in-house at Multnomah County Elections. The Gresham Outlook paper reported it could come down to 704 challenge ballots.
If a ballot is missing a signature or the signature doesn't match the one on file, those ballots are designated "challenge ballots." Voters who are affected got a letter in the mail, and have been asked to either send a registration card with an updated signature or sign an attestation form by Nov. 17.
According to Tim Scott with Multnomah County Elections, the race will not be certified before Nov. 23.