Current Mayor Nick Streit, Kathleen King and Norman Kline defeated independent candidates Neil Malhotra, Andrew Barnes and Shelley Williams in a race that had the three victors in the lead well before votes from all 23 precincts were even accounted for.

The three slate members, alongside candidates for the West Valley­Mission College Board of Trustees and about 100 people, gathered at the home of Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith Tuesday night to watch the results on television.

Streit led the race with 22.6 percent of the votes. Despite being the only incumbent, he said he did not take the election for granted and had to work just as hard during the campaign as the other candidates.

"It's rewarding and comforting to know that after four years, the citizens of Saratoga appreciate that," said Streit, who predicts that one of the main focuses of the council in the next four years will be in regards to finances and the economy.

King, who worked for current Councilman John Mehaffey when he campaigned for office, garnered 20.4 percent of the votes Tuesday night. She could not be reached for comment.

Rounding out the names of slate candidates, Kline clinched the final seat on council by capturing 20 percent of the votes. Having lived in Saratoga for only two and a half years—the shortest amount of time of all the candidates—Kline views his situation as helpful to the council. He said he can bring a fresh perspective without a history of emotional baggage with the Chamber of Commerce, Fire District or West Valley College, to cite some agencies the council has butted heads with in recent history.

"We don't want to go back to a city council that's fighting itself," he said.

At 21, Malhotra was the youngest candidate to seek office. Calling the campaign the "greatest experience" of his life, Malhotra, who ended the night with 14.2 percent of the votes, said in a prepared statement, "I am proud that our campaign kept up the highest standards of honesty and integrity."

Coming in fifth with 13.6 percent of the votes, Barnes admitted to making some mistakes during the campaign, but saw his experience overall as one of learning.

"I've had some great successes in my life. I don't see this as a failure. This really is an education for me," said Barnes, adding that he will seek office again in 2004.

Both Malhotra and Barnes made public their disapproval of candidates running on slates during the campaigns. But many small elections have candidates pooling their financial and human resources together, said Kline, who agreed that running on a slate helped lead him to victory.

"This is politics—that's the way it works," he said, noting however that he won because he ran "for residents first."

Finally, Williams, the 78-year-old retired real estate agent whose bid for office came to a standstill after claiming only 9.1 percent of the votes, could not be reached for comment.

King and Kline will replace outgoing Vice Mayor Evan Baker and Councilman Mehaffey, whose terms will expire in December.