The Portage mayor's office and city council both flipped Republican in Tuesday's election. Austin Bonta unseated Mayor Sue Lynch with almost 59 percent of the vote.
Bonta says his first goals will be to update the city's comprehensive plan and ease regulations on businesses. "This is going to be an administration that's positive when it comes to growth, positive when it comes to business development, and I believe that in the long run, that's going to be what generates the tax base that we need to get Portage on the long-term path to financial success as a city and then turn that over to provide the best infrastructure and services to our residents," Bonta told Lakeshore Public Media.
Democrats Deb Podgorski and Brian Gulley lost their council seats. Newly-elected Republicans Melissa Weidenbach, Bob Parnell, Victoria Gresham and Penny Ambler will join reelected Democrats Ferdinand Alvarez, Gina Giese-Hurt and Collin Czilli, who appeared to win by just 13 votes.
Democrat Elizabeth Modesto narrowly won the clerk-treasurer's office, beating Republican John Harrison with 52 percent of the vote. Incumbent Nina Rivas did not seek reelection.