Fremont: Wasserman, Wieckowski re-elected

12:06 a.m.: Three issues potentially have some effect on the A's future in the Bay Area. They are the Fremont mayoral and city council races, as well as Santa Clara County's Measure B, which would finance operating costs for the county's BART extension.

1:24 a.m.: Mayor Wasserman is keeping his job, along with Councilman Wieckowski. There is no runoff in Fremont elections, so the candidate(s) with respective plurality win their seats. That makes the second council member Suzanne Chan, who will replace the outgoing Steve Cho (who placed second in the mayoral race).

• Fremont Mayor (96 of 96 precincts reporting)
  Robert "Bob" Wasserman - 20406 votes, 42.67%
  Steve Cho - 15429, 32.26%
  Gus Morrison - 9875, 20.65%
  Paul Reeder - 1953, 4.08%
  Write-in - 165, 0.34%
• Fremont City Council (2 seats, 96 of 96 precincts reporting)
  Bob Wieckowski - 22223, 27.47%
  Suzanne Chan - 16709, 20.81%
  Vinnie Bacon - 12735, 15.86%
  Trisha Tahmasbi - 11773, 14.66%
  Larry Montgomery - 3922, 4.88%
  Hou Leong - 3873, 4.82%
  Linda Susoev - 2934, 3.65%
  Charles Bartlett - 2256, 2.81%
  Alan Stirling - 1815, 2.26%
  Fazlur Khan - 1813, 2.26%
  Write-in - 248, 0.31%
• Santa Clara County Measure B (Two-thirds majority required to pass, 1142 of 1142 precincts reporting)
  Yes - 305729, 66.27%
  No - 155582, 33.73%

The Measure B tally went deep into the wee hours and based on the numbers has fallen short by about 5000 votes so far. Absentee and provisional ballots are still being counted. If the count holds up, BART proponents would once again have to go back to the drawing board to figure out the length of the extension and its construction schedule. The tax was necessary in order for the extension to be eligible to receive federal matching funds. It's possible that the extension would have to be pulled back, perhaps stopping at Berryessa instead of downtown San Jose.

Incredibly, the results paint a rather favorable picture for the A's and their hopes to get the baseball village built. Several potential obstacles in Fremont have been removed. Incumbent mayor Wasserman, who has been the staunchest public proponent of the project, will stick around to see it through the EIR process at the very least. Wieckowski, also a supporter, will be there as well. They'll be joined by Chan, who is also a project supporter. Neither of the project's biggest critics, former mayor Gus Morrison and Sierra Club chapter leader Vinnie Bacon, placed higher than third in their races.

Is it smooth sailing from here on out? Not quite. Wasserman may have violated election laws in recuiting students from local high schools to campaign on his behalf. The fallout from that is unknown. The EIR still has to pass muster. The council has lobbied hard for concessions and so far the city and the A's have been able to find common ground. There remain issues to work out with private parties such as nearby businesses and landowners, but those are very doable. The upshot from tonight is that there won't be obstructionists making the decisions. That's not to say that the council are yes-men - far from it, in fact. Instead, the governing body should be of an open-minded view to make a deal that works for Fremont's residents, not one that derails it in service of a narrow agenda.