With all but a few ballots counted, Carmen Mendez increased her lead Thursday to 53.7 percent, to opponent Kelly Rosenow's 45 percent.
YAKIMA — Carmen Mendez is now projected to become the third Latina elected to the Yakima City Council this year.
With all but a few ballots counted, Mendez increased her lead Thursday to 53.7 percent, to opponent Kelly Rosenow’s 45 percent.
Rosenow conceded the race Thursday.
The victory by the 28-year-old Mendez is noteworthy because it happened outside of the city’s two Latino-majority districts in east Yakima.
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The Yakima Herald-Republic says her win means six out of seven Yakima City Council members will be women.
Earlier this week, Dulce Gutierrez and Avina Gutierrez won victories in Hispanic-majority districts that were created under an order by a federal judge in a voting rights lawsuit against the city.
Yakima is about 40 percent Hispanic.