So much for a “change” election (track results here); status quo leading in Hercules…

Hercules council: Ward, Balico, Kuehne leading
By Tom Lochner

Hercules’ City Council race was more about who would lose than who would win, with four candidates vying for three seats: incumbents Ed Balico and Mayor Joanne Ward; second-time candidate Don Kuehne; and first-time candidate John Delgado.

In early results, Ward led with nearly 30 percent of the vote, Balico was second with just under 29 percent of the vote, and Kuehne was pulling about 22 percent.

Balico and Ward touted changes that occurred in the eight years they have been on the council, including steps toward implementation — which detractors say has been slow and has lacked coherence — of the 2000 vision of a New Urbanism-inspired waterfront with upscale shops and homes, professional offices, an Amtrak train station and ferry to San Francisco.

Kuehne’s name-recognition derives from his role in a successful fight earlier in this decade against a proposed development of more than 500 homes, a hotel, offices and stores in Franklin Canyon; and from his service on the Hercules Education Foundation board and on the board of his homeowners association.

Delgado, a San Francisco prosecutor, moved to Hercules five years ago. As of Oct. 18, he had raised only $100 other than his own money.

Balico had spent more than $13,600 in the same period, more than the three other candidates combined.

One of Hercules’ major lingering issues, although the candidates did not talk about it much during the campaign, is the fate of a 17 1/4-acre tract near the waterfront owned by Wal-Mart, which has wrangled with the city over plans for a big-box store. The retailer, which has since come up with smaller-scale model stores, could file a new application any time.