Entrepreneur and Public Works Commissioner John Hollaway maintained a slim advantage over incumbent Arleen Rojas in the Carson City Council District 4 contest on Sunday, Nov. 8. The registrar’s latest update, issued at 4 p.m., put Hollaway at 51.57% and Rojas at 48.43%, a difference of 220 votes.
The tally remained incomplete following the Nov. 3 election, and the number of ballots awaiting a count was unknown. The registrar plans to release updated totals each day until the remaining ballots have been counted and the results certified. Certification is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 27.
The first semi-official results were released shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday. Those figures included mail ballots received by Election Day and ballots cast at Vote Centers before voting ended at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots still requiring a count include provisional and conditional ballots, along with mail ballots postmarked by Election Day that had yet to arrive.
Hollaway has made community involvement a central part of his bid for the council seat. In comments the previous week, he described a strong commitment to Carson and said residents had urged him to provide a more visible presence. He portrayed his campaign as a response to those requests and said winning would represent a moral victory for the city.
In earlier remarks, Hollaway said District 4 had suffered from neglect and was among Carson’s most overlooked areas. He proposed bringing residents together through town hall meetings and other discussions to learn what they wanted from their city. He also expressed a desire for Carson to meet residents’ needs so they would not have to travel elsewhere.
Hollaway’s proposed agenda for his first 100 days in office, should he win, includes meetings with city employees and members of underserved communities. Those plans accompanied his broader pledge to be present and responsive to the district.
Rojas previously identified the absence of comprehensive public safety as Carson’s greatest need. In the Southern California News Group’s Voter Guide, she described neighborhood security as essential to a successful city and pointed to several initiatives she had helped advance.
According to that statement, Rojas helped create Carson’s Public Safety Task Force, revived the Safety First Act Now initiative and launched the Community Oriented Policing initiative. She said those efforts were intended to directly address property crime and illegal street takeovers. Rojas did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the race.
