Genny Altwer leads in San Jose D9 City Council race

Genny Altwer secured an early lead as the returns pour in for San Jose’s District 9 city council race.

As of 9:22 p.m. on Election Day, early results show Genny Altwer ahead with 53.6% of the vote, or 7,201 votes. In second place is Gordon Chester with 46.3% of the vote or 6,230 votes. The county total voters percentage is 23.53%.

Altwer supporters crowded into the Jack Holders Restaurant for a campaign watch party. The room erupted into raucous cheers as the first results came in, showing Altwer enjoying a sizable lead.

Minutes later, she stood clambered atop a restaurant chair and told her supporters she is feeling optimistic.

“This is a fantastic start to this race,” Altwer said. “I am just so excited about the future of this city. There’s a lot of work to do, and we’re going to continue on doing things that are pragmatic and moving forward — and I’m really excited to do that.”

Altwer, 46, a former police officer and the clear favorite of San Jose’s business community, has called for adding more police officers, and signalled support for Mayor Matt Mahan’s homelessness policies, which have emphasized efforts to get unhoused people into interim shelters.

In District 9’s council race — the closely watched contest to fill San Jose’s only open seat this election cycle — Altwer, a licensed marriage and family therapist is facing off against Chester, a longtime city employee in the Public Works department.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who endorsed Altwer’s candidacy, also offered celebratory remarks.

“I was so excited when Jenny reached out and told me she was thinking of running,” Mahan said. “Somebody who’s been a police officer, a hostage negotiator, a counselor, maybe most importantly a mom — somebody who’s been living in this district. I’m so excited for her leadership at City Hall. She’s going to be a voice for our neighborhoods and fighter for a more responsive government every single day.”

Both candidates have run on campaign platforms that include plans to improve public safety, boost affordability and reduce homelessness, though they diverge on how to achieve those goals.

The winner will replace Vice Mayor Pam Foley, who is terming out of the District 9 seat in December. She represents a largely suburban district in southwest San Jose that includes the Willow Glen, Hillsdale and Cambrian Park neighborhoods.

The race’s outcome also has implications for the delicate balance of power in San Jose between the city’s opposing labor and business political coalitions. As a member of the council’s business-aligned majority, Foley has been a consistent backer of Mahan’s policy agenda.

Altwer spent 13 years working as a sworn officer with the San Mateo Police Department, before pivoting to become a therapist specializing in treating first responders and essential workers. Altwer, who lives in the Pinehurst neighborhood with her husband and two daughters, serves on San Jose’s Appeals Hearing Board, which adjudicates code enforcement cases. She also serves as a board member for the Branham High School Parent Teacher Association.

Altwer has racked up a number of notable endorsements, including from Mahan, Congressman Sam Liccardo and Foley, who supported her longtime chief of staff, Scott Hughes, in the primary.

Chester, speaking at his own campaign party, which took place inside the Britannia Arms Almaden bar, said he remained confident his campaign could still close the distance as more ballots are counted.

“Right now we’re feeling pretty good,” he said. “It was a slow turn in the primary. It seems like it’s going to be something similar this time around.”

Following the June primary night, Genny took a commanding lead, trailed behind by Chester and three other candidates — long-time City Hall staffer Scott Hughes, businessman Mike Hennessy and tech worker Rick Ator —- who traded places for days of ballot counting before Chester began to edge ahead.

Chester said after months of campaigning, he could see his campaign message was catching on with many residents.

Chester has worked in the San Jose city government for over a decade, currently serving in the Department of Public Works. The Cambrian neighborhood resident differentiated himself in the crowded primary field with a number of progressive stands, including his opposition to San Jose’s partnership with Flock Safety, the technology vendor that supplies the city’s network of automated license plate reader cameras.

Chester’s housing platform secured the endorsement of San Jose YIMBY, a pro-housing development group. Other notable backers include State Sen. Dave Cortese, Assemblymember Marc Berman and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee.

This story will be updated.

Contact Keith Menconi at [email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X.