READING, Pa. – Nearly a week after polls closed, the race for Reading City Council president has finally been decided.

The Berks County Office of Election Services says the unofficial results show Donna Reed is the winner of the Democratic primary in a race that saw the two leading candidates separated by only a handful of votes.

Reed, the current president and a council veteran, faced challenges from colleagues Vanessa Campos and Jaime Baez Jr., both of whom joined council last year.

The unofficial vote tally, which officials say will stand until the election results are certified, puts Reed at 977 votes to 969 cast for Baez. Campos came in a distant third with 456 votes. 

Since 2002, Reed has served on council and was appointed president in January 2023 following the sudden death of her friend and colleague, the late Jeff Waltman.

Prior to that, she filled the District Five council seat for years.

Reed will take on Republican challenger Evelyn Morrison in the General Election on November 4, 2025.Â