Early Eugene council counts show leads, Ward 5 headed to runoff

Mike Clark held the lead in Eugene’s Ward 5 race, but not by enough to settle the city’s most closely watched council contest on the first count. With about 41 percent of the vote, the longtime Ward 5 incumbent was ahead of Athena Aguiar and Jasmine Hatmaker, and no candidate appeared likely to clear the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Ward 5 covers the Delta Highway corridor, making the seat one of the city’s most practical battlegrounds for residents watching housing, transportation and neighborhood services. Clark has represented the ward for 20 years, and his current city profile lists his term from January 2023 to January 2027. The early tally suggested that voters were weighing that kind of continuity against a push for change from Aguiar and Hatmaker.

The runoff threat stood out against a broader night of clearer results elsewhere in Eugene. Jennifer Smith led John Barofsky in Ward 3, incumbent Jennifer Yeh had a strong lead over Tom Stedman in Ward 4, and incumbent Greg Evans was ahead in Ward 6. Eugene’s council is made up of eight members elected on a nonpartisan ballot from eight wards, and the body serves as the city’s legislative branch, setting policy, passing laws and deciding what services the city will provide.

That authority matters because the next council will inherit an already strained budget. City officials said the 2025-2027 budget cycle carried an $11.5 million annual general fund gap, and the council adopted a biennial budget on June 23, 2025, built around $4.7 million in new revenue, $3.8 million in service reductions and $2.2 million in reduced investments. The council also adopted a Fire Service Fee on February 10, 2025, to help stabilize fire services and narrow the shortfall.

The same ballot asked Eugene voters to weigh Measure 20-381, a five-year library local option levy that would bring in about $4.3 million a year starting July 1, 2026 and keep all three library locations open 47 hours a week. The city later reported the levy was passing with 62.2 percent yes at the initial count. Voters also saw charter amendments to remove gender-specific pronouns and to eliminate the city residency requirement for department heads.

With the May 19 election conducted by mail ballot, late-arriving ballots can still matter, but Ward 5 already looked headed for a final round. If Clark and Aguiar advance, the runoff would decide whether Eugene keeps a 20-year incumbent in a ward shaped by the Delta Highway corridor or turns the seat over to a new voice at a moment when every council vote on the budget, housing and public safety carries extra weight.