VANCOUVER, Wash. -  The leadership of the region’s second-largest city looks like it’s going to change as Tim Leavitt's lead widened over incumbent Royce Pollard in the city’s mayoral race Wednesday.

Pollard had 45 percent of the vote while Leavitt had 54 percent after Clark County counted another round of ballots and released the results Wednesday afternoon.

Even with the clear lead, Leavitt still did not declare victory. Addressing the Vancouver Rotary Club, of which he’s a member, Leavitt didn’t speak about the race but he and Pollard claimed a moral victory.

“We stayed on the high road,” Leavitt said later. “We stayed on the issues and held our opponent’s feet to the fire where we needed to.”

“We ran a campaign based on honor and honesty,” said Pollard.

The honesty question centered around a new Interstate Bridge and whether tolls are needed to pay for it.

Pollard said he doesn’t think Leavitt was being honest when he told voters he’d find a way to build a smaller project perhaps by only tolling drivers from out of the region.

“We can put a toll on the bridge for that traffic and exempt Clark County commuters,” Leavitt said. “It’s all done electronically; it’s not rocket science.”

Leavitt said he plans to empower other members of the City Council to take the lead on issues and said he believed Pollard became too powerful.

But Pollard said low turnout hurt him.

“My advantage would have been the more people that voted, the better I would have done. And they didn’t come out and vote” said Pollard. “But the people who want change did come out. That’s pretty clear.”

Leavitt said he thinks the revitalization of downtown Vancouver got too much attention at the expense of the rest of the city, but it’s that downtown rebirth that Pollard will be remembered for.

But Pollard said he’s not concerned about his legacy. “My legacy is the three grandchildren down on the river and two in Sacramento, Calif. That’s my legacy,” he said.

Leavitt said he plans to streamline building permits and ease taxes on businesses to stimulate the economy.

He’s only 38 and some said he’s too young to be mayor.

Ironically, Pollard was the swing vote that put Leavitt on the City Council several years ago.

• Clark County Election Results
• Statewide Election Results