2 Weeks, 2 Hopefuls and Too Close to Call in Costa Mesa Race

When Eric Bever and Bruce Garlich decided to run for the Costa Mesa City Council, they didn’t anticipate the political equivalent of water torture: the painfully slow release of election results.

But on Tuesday, two weeks after Costa Mesa voters cast ballots for three City Council seats, the two members of the city Planning Commission were still wondering who between them would win the election.

At one time, the gap between Bever and Garlich -- running third and fourth, respectively -- was 41 votes. One day, Bever led by 160 votes. On Tuesday, Bever was ahead by 68 votes, out of more than 81,000 counted so far. Voters cast up to three votes each.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster,” said the trailing Garlich, 68. “It’s just a waiting game.”

The Costa Mesa race is one of several too close to call in Orange County, as anxious candidates wait for the registrar of voters to finish counting about 60,000 provisional and absentee ballots.

It is unknown which races will be affected any given day, because there’s no order to how the ballots from across the county are counted.

“It’s really a matter of which ballots we were able to verify [as valid] ... as we grab through the pile,” said Brett Rowley, spokesman for the registrar’s office.

Bever, an antiques and art dealer, and Garlich, a retired aerospace executive, said they checked the county’s website in the late afternoon, when daily updates were posted.

Because both were appointed to their seats on the Planning Commission, each was a first-time candidate.

And they field calls from supporters who hypothesize what is at stake in the uncounted votes.

“I have had some people surmise that, based on the size of our city, that there may be 10% of those [uncounted] that are Costa Mesa votes, which would be [an additional] 5,000 or 6,000,” said Garlich, Planning Commission chairman. “That’s a lot of ballots to be counted when you’re only [72] behind.”

Garlich isn’t sure whether any of those estimates are accurate. It’s just other people’s conjecture.

“I just file it away and rattle it all around every time there’s new information,” he said. “I’d much rather be sweating it out staying in third than moving into fourth, but that’s the way it is.”

It’s all a matter of perspective.

“There’s been a couple days,” said Bever, “when I was thinking it would be better to be on the [losing] end of things.”

Meanwhile, both candidates are getting an up-close experience with the election process.

Bever has a few suggestions for the registrar.

“I think it would be better to count the close races when everything else is decisive rather than leaving people hanging for two weeks or potentially four weeks,” Bever said, despite the fact that uncounted ballots aren’t segregated by area.

The county has until Nov. 30 to certify the election, and the election professionals say newcomers like Bever and Garlich have to learn to be patient, like candidates in years past.

“We’re right on target,” Rowley said of the vote counting’s pace. “The best we can tell them is, ‘Keep an eye on it.’ ”

Bever, 45, said he was feeling “pretty comfortable” since he had been in the lead for two weeks. But he can’t move on.

The victory party is on hold. And, although he has had plenty of time to prepare a great bash, Bever said, “I want to wait until it’s a sure victory before I plan anything.”