Paula Devine takes lead with a quarter of votes counted

After trailing early on, candidate Paula Devine took the lead in the race for a 10-month Glendale City Council seat with about a quarter of the votes counted, according to county election officials.

Devine holds 29.9% of the counted ballots, while Vartan Gharpetian, who had the same percentage earlier in the night, dropped to 27.3% at 10:40 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.

The three other candidates in the special election, Chahe Keuroghelian, Rick Barnes, and Mike Mohill, have received, respectively, 18.2%, 16.7%, and 7.9% of ballots cast, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.

The election replaces outgoing Councilman Frank Quintero, who was appointed last year after former Council Rafi Manoukian left the dais to become city treasurer.

A related initiative, Measure G, which would allow the City Council to appoint someone to the remainder of an unfilled term instead of holding a special election -- a move currently required under the city charter -- holds a commanding lead in early returns, with 68.8% of voters approving the measure and 31.2% against.

-- Dan Evans, dan.evans@latimes.com
Follow on Twitter: @EditorDanEvans.

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