Barry Davis pulls ahead of Brian Stockmar, Jonathan Staufer in Vail Town Council race

UPDATE: Barry Davis trailed incumbent Brian Stockmar by just 15 votes for the fourth and final seat on the Vail Town Council as of 9 p.m. Tuesday. But by midnight, Davis had pulled ahead of Stockmar by 41 votes and Jonathan Staufer by nine votes to sit in third in the closely contested race.

If the results hold, Davis will win a four-year term, while Staufer will earn a two-year term and Stockmar will be left without a seat.

Unofficial election returns as of midnight Tuesday show Pete Seibert leading the field with 827 votes (14.7%), incumbent Travis Coggin pulling into second with 676 votes (12.01%), Davis pulling into third with 655 votes (11.64%) and Staufer dropping to fourth with 646 votes (11.48%). Stockmar, the other incumbent in the race, fell to fifth with 614 votes (10.91%). The top three finishers will serve four-year terms, while the fourth serves a two-year term.

Results won’t be official for another couple of weeks, pending receipt of overseas and military votes.

There was a 10-person candidate field this year, with a mix of youth and experience in the group. Three candidates grew up in town: Seibert, Staufer and Coggin. Coggin and Stockmar were the two incumbents running.

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There were two open seats, with Jenn Bruno and Mayor Dave Chapin leaving due to town term-limit rules. The new council, which meets Dec. 7 for the first time, will select a mayor to serve for the next two years.

The group also featured a former council member, Kim Newbury Rediker.

The other four candidates, Niko Sayag, Jermaine Wates, Kathryn Middleton and Kirk Hansen, were all seeking a first term on the council.

The race focused in large part on the traditional issues of housing and transportation, as well as how best to fill employee shortages. There were also discussions about the prospect of the town being too busy on some summer weekends.

Candidates can hold a wide range of opinions, but campaigns are generally civil. That’s been the case this year, with the exception of a handful of “No Staufer” signs sprinkled around town. Staufer dismissed the signs, saying he’d rather focus on issues.

The same thing happened in 2019 during then-candidate Karen Perez’s run for council.