Incumbent appeared headed for victory late Tuesday evening
Morgan Hill – Rosemary Kamei was headed for a narrow victory over political rookie and water expert Ram Singh Tuesday night in a race to serve as District 1 representative to the water district’s governing board.
Kamei, a three-term incumbent first appointed to the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors in 1993, had an 1,244-vote advantage with all 370 precincts reporting. Kamei won 51 percent or 36,000 votes cast compared to Singh’s 49 percent or 34,756 votes.
“It is very difficult to defeat an incumbent of 13 years, even though I had a good message and I was fighting for a good cause – that the water district is out of control. But if the people want to keep the status quo … ,” Singh said.
Singh differentiated himself from other challengers by highlighting his 45 years of experience in water resources management, a career that spans everything from designing dams and levees to helping public officials budget for water resources.
On Tuesday, few voters said they pay attention to the water district, though there was a clear preference among those who did cast a ballot in the race.
“I went with Ram Singh, just to shake things up,” Luis Ramirez said at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church off Hecker Pass in Gilroy.
Serdar Tumgoren, Senior Staff Writer, covers City Hall for The Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7109 or st*******@************ch.com.
