Simon Silva died Sep. 3 surrounded by his wife and two daughters.
On Friday, Silva was leading the race for Chula Vista City Attorney, besting his opponent, Dan Smith, by 301votes, with thousands of ballots still expected to be counted.
Especially noteworthy regarding the race: The current leader is deceased. At this point, with only preliminary returns in, of course, it's far too early to declare a winner.
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Last month, the Chula Vista City Council honored Silva, a deputy city attorney who died after a battle with cancer.
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In mid-September, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas said she would adjourn the council meeting in the memory of Silva, who served Chula Vista for 12 years. Silva had a lifetime of public service after graduating from law school at the University of San Diego. Salas said he was a Marine and a reserve sheriff's deputy.
Silva’s death also left voters with an interesting decision. In the June primary, Silva received the most votes to become Chula Vista’s next city attorney and advanced to the November runoff. Election rules said he would remain on the November ballot despite his death. If Silva holds on, the city will have to decide how to choose an interim replacement until it holds a special election for the vacant seat.
That could cost the city upward of $2 million.
