Minnehaha neighborhood leader Tim Benn is going to face off with political consultant Michael Cathcart for the right to serve on the Spokane city council in the Northeast district.
After the initial results, Benn holds a slight lead in a seven-candidate race. He has 24.7% of the vote; Cathcart ran second at 23.9%. Naghmana Sherazi is running third at about 17%. Positions 4-7 are held by Jerrall Haynes, Doug Salter, Krys Brown and Louis Lefebvre.
Benn has run unsuccessfully for Spokane City Council and state legislative seats, but he credited his long-time work in local neighborhood issues for giving him the early lead.
He and Cathcart, who formerly worked for the Spokane Homebuilders Association, are both conservatives seeking to replace another conservative, Mike Fagan, on the council. Fagan is running third in a four-person race for council president.