After years of discord amongst Kirkland City Council members, the council is set for some unity. During an election night victory party at Deputy Mayor Joan McBride’s house, all four victors for council – McBride, Penny Sweet, Doreen Marchione and Amy Walen – looked forward to the next term with optimism.

“I am thrilled that the voters said we are returning to civility,” said McBride, who is the only council incumbent to win reelection.

The Deputy Mayor is running ahead of Martin Morgan for Position No. 1, according to King County ballot counts. As of 4:20 p.m. Monday, McBride was leading by 77 percent over Martin Morgan, with 23 percent of the votes.

Current Kirkland Mayor Jim Lauinger did not seek reelection, leaving a vacancy and one of the next topics of discussion for the council. As the longest-serving council member, McBride addressed speculation about the position.

“I’d be interested if the council gave me that honor,” said McBride. “I would approach leadership in a more collegial manner. All of us as council members are and should be equal.”

Despite being the only incumbent to win reelection, McBride isn’t the only council member with the resume to be elected for the position.

Marchione, who is a former Redmond mayor, leads with 67 percent for Position No. 7, while 3,698 ballots were cast for incumbent Tom Hodgson, or 33 percent. Hodgson was plagued by ethics violations and a landslide of community leaders campaigning against his reelection.

“I said that if that man is running unopposed I won’t let that happen,” Marchione told the crowd on election night. “Everyone in this room deserves a thank you. It is nice to know, though, that the citizens get it.”

For Marchione, this election was a bit different for the political veteran.

“It felt a little different because of the mail-in ballot,” said Marchione. “I was weary that the results would not be definitive.”

But the move towards civility on the council may begin with an old rivalry. Two years ago, Sweet and current Councilmember Jessica Greenway had one of the most contentious and expensive council races in history.

“Jessica and I will have to sit down and have a conversation and see where we can work together,” said Sweet. “It shouldn’t be hard, we live two blocks away from each other.”

Sweet leads with 68 percent for Position No. 3, with Brad Larssen garnering 32 percent out of 11,389 votes.

“It has been an honor to have been a candidate for Kirkland City Council,” said Larssen in a letter to the editor that can be found on page 6. “I am proud of our dedicated team of supporters and volunteers.”

One of the most surprised of the candidates was Ford of Kirkland CFO Walen.

“I feel overwhelmed,” said Walen, who is garnering 63 percent of the vote against Design Review Board member Karen Tennyson, who has 37 percent, for Position No. 5. “I didn’t expect these kinds of numbers. I think that most of the people elected will take responsibility and uphold the dignity of the office.”

Tennyson accepted the results with grace.

“I contacted Amy Walen to congratulate her and wish her luck,” said Tennyson. “While losing is never fun, I will continue as I’ve done for the last 10 plus years, to stay actively involved in the city and work to keep Kirkland great. I also want to thank all of those Kirkland citizens who gave so generously to my campaign.”

So far, the county has counted 46.30 percent of the ballots sent out for the council races.

The election party at McBride’s house also had an interesting mix of movers and shakers in Kirkland politics, business and community activism, including former mayors Bill Woods and Bob Neir, Council members Bob Sternoff and Mary-Alyce Burleigh, Rep. Deb Eddy and Rep. Larry Springer.

“It will be nice to look down the dais and see smiles on faces,” Sternoff told the crowd. “We have to bring a city back together that has been divided.”

The packed house of Republicans, Democrats, rivals and leaders were all there for one reason – to celebrate the chance for more civility on the council.

“From conversations that we have had I know we will not agree on everything,” said Sweet. “But I think we will be able to work out our differences in a civil manner.”

The “Fab Four” as supporters called them during the final weeks of the campaign had one common thread. Current council member Mary-Alyce Burleigh, who is vacating Position No. 3, was one of the biggest catalysts for their campaigns. The longtime community leader said she will take a vacation but will not disappear from the community spotlight.

The new council will have more issues to deal with than just picking a new mayor once the new term begins in January. The council will have to choose a new city manager, which could be difficult with the council’s current reputation, said Burleigh.

“I have never experienced a council in such a bad position as our current lack of integrity,” said Burleigh. “It was not just Kirkland that was watching but the entire region.”

The election brought one of the largest changes to the City of Kirkland as the annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods is currently on pace to pass. The annexation would nearly double the size of the city in terms of residence served. The council will also have to continue to tighten the budget as the 1.5 increase in private utility tax failed.