Mayor Brian Dombkowski is beating out the two other candidates for the open District 2 seat on the Woodside Town Council, according to election night returns.

Dombkowski has about 61.7% of the votes or 174 votes. Two other candidates, Steve Lubin, a lifelong Woodside resident and longtime town volunteer, is trailing with 20.9%, or 59 votes, and Elizabeth Kaske with 17.4%, or 49 votes.

"I am honored to have received such strong support from the voters," Dombkowski said in statement a little after 9 p.m. on Tuesday. "Over the course of this campaign I have had so many invaluable conversations with constituents. There's a lot of heavy lifting ahead of us and I will continue to roll up my sleeves on behalf of our town to get it done."

Initial election results include vote-by-mail ballots received in the mail as of Friday, Nov. 4, and vote-by-mail ballots returned at Vote Centers and Drop Boxes on or before Nov. 4. They also include all Vote Center ballots.

The three-way race is for the newly redrawn District 2 seat, which represents parts of Emerald Hills east of Interstate Highway 280 and borders Huddart Park.

The Town Council, which is currently a seven-member body, is making the move to five members when it switches from the old "from-district" to a "by-district" elections system beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Only two council members will be elected for new four-year terms, even though the terms for council members Brown (District 3), Dombkowski (District 2) and Sean Scott all have terms that are expiring. Brown ran unopposed.

Scott now lives in District 1, which will be on the ballot in 2024. He could choose to run then, but he wasn't eligible for any of the seats on the ballot this November, according to Town Manager Kevin Bryant.

Whomever is elected will play a part in shaping the town's housing element. The town is charged with designating at least 328 units of new housing over the next eight years through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), a large jump from just 62 last cycle. The state sent extensive feedback on the draft, which relies heavily on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), but includes some multifamily housing.

The county plans to release its latest vote tally before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10.