Igor Tregub, a climate policy consultant, is officially councilmember-elect for downtown and central Berkeley after the Alameda County Registrar’s Office certified election results for Berkeley’s District 4 special election on Thursday.
Read Berkeleyside’s profile on Igor Tregub
Ranked-choice votes put Tregub ahead of his closest competitor, East Bay Young Democrats President Rubén Hernández Story, by 49 ballots. The two were only separated by 10 votes with raw ballot counts.
Tregub will be sworn into his city council office by City Clerk Mark Numainville at 1:30 p.m. on June 24 in the Redwood Room at 2180 Milvia St.
Tregub said he will double down on his campaign goals of addressing the crises of housing, homelessness and mental health issues, bettering the climate, and making sure downtown is a “safe, accessible, vibrant destination where small businesses can thrive.”
He said he’s already been working “around the clock” to craft a ballot measure to support arts businesses in downtown Berkeley that he hopes the council will place on the November ballot.
“I’m very grateful to all the voters in District 4 for participating in this democratic process,” Tregub said. “I’m excited and humbled to be able to be in a position, and have the great privilege to be able to represent everyone in the district — whether or not they voted for me or not.”
Tregub is currently setting up a transition team for his first few weeks in office, as well opening up applications for his permanent staff members, which he encourages interested parties to look out for.
His first council meeting will be next week, when councilmembers vote on the annual budget. Most matters have already been finalized, and Tregub said he plans to be “as constructive as possible” to move the talks forward.
With Tregub’s election, the City Council is once again at full capacity following the unexpected January resignations of former D4 councilmember Kate Harrison and Southside D7 councilmember Rigel Robinson.
The county’s vote map shows that the majority of ballots cast in the downtown portion of the district backed community organizer Elana Auerbach, who came in third place, while Tregub secured the most votes in the western part. Story gained the most votes in the D4 neighborhood that borders North Berkeley.
