HAYWARD — Early returns Tuesday showed incumbent Mayor Barbara Halliday leading, but a two-term councilman trailing.
Halliday had a commanding lead over her challenger, Councilman Mark Salinas in early returns from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
Halliday and Salinas, who also ran for mayor unsuccessfully in 2014, were the only two candidates in the race.
The results showed Halliday with about 57 percent of the vote and Salinas with about 42 percent, with 69 out of 114 precincts reporting.
In the race for City Council, incumbent Sara Lamnin was topping the poll with about 26 percent of the vote, followed by newcomer Aisha Wahab with about 23 percent.
Lamnin’s fellow incumbent Marvin Peixoto, who has served on the council for the past eight years, was third with about 20 percent of the vote.
Lamnin was elected in June 2014, with large backing from SEIU Local 1021, which spent tens of thousands of dollars on her campaign as the union was embroiled in a labor dispute with the city.
Wahab works as a business information technology consultant for Santa Clara County.
The other candidates seeking a council seat were urban planner Didacus Ramos and Joe Ramos, an insurance representative, as well as Thomas Ferreira, who works as an emergency medical technician, and Mekia Michelle Fields, a recruiting sourcing specialist.
On Tuesday Hayward voters were also backing Measure T, which would increase the real property transfer tax in Hayward from $4.50 per $1,000 to $8.50. The tax is assessed when property is sold.
The measure received about 56 percent of the vote, according to the early tally. The tax would raise an estimated $13 million annually for city services.
A $381 million bond that would benefit the Hayward Unified School District was also winning Tuesday, capturing about 67 percent of the vote.
Money from the bond would fund repairs and other upgrades. If it passes, the annual cost for property owners will be $60 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their property.
It would be used to pay for new roofs and technology infrastructure, as well as improved security at campuses, such as better fencing, fire alarms and public address systems.
Halliday has been mayor since 2014, when Michael Sweeney retired from the city’s top post. Before that, Halliday served two terms on the council. She also served on the planning commission and other city bodies beginning in 1990.
Salinas served on the council from 2010 to 2014, when he stepped down to unsuccessfully run for mayor against Halliday. He was elected again in 2016; his term expires in 2020.