Bartholomew Leads Albany Ward 2 Council Race

Stacey Bartholomew holds the top spot in the Albany City Council Ward 2 contest with 41% of the vote in early Linn County results.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections

Photograph of a plain wooden ballot box with a brass lock on a bare table in a quiet room, with green valley fields visible through a window. — Stacey Bartholomew leads the Albany City Council Ward 2 race with 41% of the vote, while Jessica Wark leads incumbent Ramycia McGhee in Ward 3 in early Linn County results. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Stacey Bartholomew leads the Albany City Council Ward 2 race with 41% of the vote, with 1,704 votes in later results. Jessica Wark leads incumbent Ramycia McGhee in Ward 3 with 51% of the vote.

Why it matters

The results determine who will hold two Albany City Council seats after the current Ward 2 holder, Chris Van Drimmelen, declined to run for a full term following his appointment last year. The Ward 3 outcome will decide whether the incumbent retains her seat.

Ward 2 candidate Bartholomew recorded 1,704 votes (41%) in later results, up from an initial total of 1,486 votes. Ward 3 leader Wark's lead widened from 3,157 to 3,529 votes, but these figures remain unofficial and subject to change in later counts.

The players

Stacey Bartholomew

Bartholomew is a former Albany city councilor and current planning commissioner who leads the Ward 2 race.

Jessica Wark

Wark owns a truffle oil business and leads incumbent Ramycia McGhee in the Ward 3 race.

Ramycia McGhee

McGhee is the incumbent Ward 3 councilor and a Linn-Benton Community College professor trailing Wark.

The details

Linn County began releasing results in batches after 8 p.m. on election night. In Ward 2, Bartholomew, a former councilor and current planning commissioner, leads Rachel Biscoe, a Linn-Benton Community College board member, and Jonathan Gould, a security consultant. In Ward 3, Wark, who owns a truffle oil business, leads incumbent McGhee, a Linn-Benton Community College professor.

Election night, November 3, 2026: Albany City Council voting took place and Linn County released its first results after 8 p.m.
November 4, 2026: Jessica Wark is expected to be available for comment.

Political Context

The Ward 2 seat has changed hands through appointment rather than a contested vote, and these results determine whether that appointed seat becomes a full-term office. Opposition to incumbency in Ward 3 is reflected in Wark's challenge to McGhee's seat.

Albany voters in Wards 2 and 3 will see new or returning council members take office based on these results. The final certified count will determine which candidates hold the seats.

The takeaway

Local council races are often decided by small vote margins, so following certified results is the best way to know who will represent your ward. Watch for final Linn County totals before drawing firm conclusions.