On election night last week, the results were too close to determine who would be the next Mayor of Tacoma. Progressive Marilyn Strickland began with a slight lead of under 150 votes. However, since then, she has managed to continually build on that lead and she is now poised to be the mayor of the state's third largest city. Here's an update from the News Tribute entitled, "Tacoma mayor's race: Strickland prepares agenda, Merritt prepares a new campaign."

Even before this evening's ballot counts showed Marilyn Strickland expanding her lead over Jim Merritt yet again (tonight she gained 10 votes, putting her up by 1,100), both candidates recently detailed to me their plans for the aftermath of what's now Strickland's inevitable victory.

Today, Strickland told me of an impressive priorities' list she'll take with her to the mayor's office that includes a number of economic and education initiatives.

Among other things, Strickland said she'll seek to reduce Tacoma's B&O taxes; look to grow the city as a science-technology hub; enhance marketing of the city as an urban college town; and appoint a mayoral task force on education to seek ways to garner more public education dollars and improve student achievement in the classroom.

"I have big plans," Strickland said.

Meanwhile, Merritt told me during a lengthy phone call on Sunday that while he hasn't formally conceded the race, he is under no delusions that he'll win.

(Merritt, by the way, said he doesn't understand the concept of concessions. "I don't understand conceding or not conceding," he said. "If you count the votes and it seems like there's absolutely no question, then it's a done deal. But I like to play the game out. That's my competitive nature.")

While Merritt said he expects to congratulate Strickland in the coming days (Strickland told me as of Monday afternoon, she had yet to receive his call), he'll also undertake a new campaign: Winning an appointment to fill one of two council seats soon to be vacated in the coming weeks.