OLYMPIA – Four Olympia City Council candidates who opposed the council’s decision to rezone the downtown isthmus to allow taller buildings were leading in the early returns Tuesday, and two of the three incumbents were in trouble.

Stephen Buxbaum, Jeannine Roe, Karen Rogers and incumbent Joe Hyer all were leading. Supporters of taller buildings on the isthmus – incumbent Jeff Kingsbury, incumbent Joan Machlis and challenger Tony Sermonti – were behind. Opponents of the rezoning have considered the fate of the isthmus to be the race’s signature issue.

Two of the leaders were ahead by relatively narrow margins.

Roe was leading Machlis 50.22 percent to 49.32 percent; the 83-vote difference made the race too close to call.

Roe wasn’t ready to call the race, either.

“Holy smokes,” she said upon hearing the early returns. “We shall see in the next few days what happens.”

Machlis, who was appointed to the council in January 2008 to fill a vacancy, said she doesn’t know how to feel while the final vote count is in limbo.

“We’ll be glad when we know the final” count, she said.

Rogers led Veldheer 50.97 percent to 48.34 percent.

“All I can say is, wonderful,” Rogers said, but she added later, “we’ll see how it goes.”

Veldheer said she was hopeful she would prevail.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “It’s very close.”

Rogers and Veldheer are seeking the seat Karen Messmer is vacating; both candidates and Messmer opposed the isthmus rezoning.

Two other races were all but settled. Hyer was beating Sermonti 60.51 percent to 39.11 percent. Hyer, who is finishing his first four-year term on the council, said the apparent win was both gratifying and humbling.

“I’ve been running for election for four years in my mind,” he said.

Sermonti said he was proud of his campaign and that he might again run for public office.

“My campaign was based on not a single issue,” he said, referring to the isthmus.

Buxbaum was well on his way to defeating incumbent Jeff Kingsbury, winning 57.81 percent to 41.83 percent Tuesday night.

“It’s clear that the public doesn’t want to be forced to accept just one developer’s vision of the isthmus,” Buxbaum said.

“We need to collaborate and make a truly meaningful comprehensive plan,” he added.

Kingsbury, who is finishing his first term, was resigned to his loss.

“We didn’t anticipate it would go this way, and we worked really hard, and I’m proud of all the work that we’ve done, and I’m going to go rest,” he said.

The future of the isthmus continues to divide the community. The City Council voted 5-2 last year to raise building-height limits on a portion the strip between Budd Inlet and Capitol Lake. Developer Triway Enterprises requested the rezoning, saying it wanted to build five- and seven-story mixed-use buildings with high-end condominiums there.

The developer didn’t submit its actual plan until last month. It now wants to build an office/retail building that’s 35 feet tall and a mixed-use building with 141 condos that’s 90 feet tall.

Opponents of expanded height limits said the proposed buildings would block views of Budd Inlet and the Capitol dome. Supporters said the new housing would revitalize downtown.

Other big issues that the winners will face are the future of downtown and imminent city budget cuts.

City Manager Steve Hall proposes cutting the equivalent of about 27 full-time positions to make up an expected budget deficit of about $4 million, and eliminating or scaling back multiple programs.

Although the winners tonight will not have a say on the budget – they won’t yet be in office when the current council adopts it in December – they will have to work with the result.

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869

mbatcheldor@theolympian.com