Tracy City Councilwoman Rhodesia Ransom will be off the Tracy City Council at the end of the year when her term expires.

But if she holds her lead, Ransom will not be done with elected office in San Joaquin County.

According to the election returns released by the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters at 12:01 a.m. today, Ransom held a 16,452 to 14,079 vote lead over challenger and current Tracy Mayor Robert Rickman for the District 5 Seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

Whoever is ultimately elected will be replacing former Tracy City Councilman and outgoing supervisor Bob Elliott in a district that includes a wide swath of the South Council including Tracy, and parts of Manteca south of Yosemite Avenue and the River Islands portion of Lathrop.

Rickman, a law enforcement officer, generated controversy earlier this year when he made a comment about sending Tracy’s homeless people to Stockton during a conversation about the burgeoning homeless population in communities in the South County.

The comments draw sharp criticism and generated media attention, and Ransom ran a campaign that focused on taking responsibility for issues in the district and working collaboratively with other neighboring agencies to solve what has become a regional problem.

Because of the sheer number of mail ballots that have been cast in San Joaquin County, it could take a number of days – or longer – to get an accurate picture of where the race stands.

The San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters will present the final tabulations at the beginning of next month for certification before they are submitted to the California Secretary of State.

If elected, Ransom will join District 3 Supervisor Tom Patti in splitting the city of Manteca and spoke during an online town hall about the possibility to making the communities in the South County whole when it comes to their representation.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.