MANY AREA CITY, SCHOOL BOARD RACES ON THE BALLOT SATURDAY
Numerous city council and school board races in the area, along with some city, county and school district propositions, will be decided on Saturday.
Voters in Bellville, Caldwell, Carmine, Giddings, Hempstead, La Grange, Iola, Navasota, Round Top, Sealy, Snook and Somerville will have plenty of choices in this weekend’s election.
In Bellville, there are two contested city council and school board races. For the city council, Position 1 Alderman Wayne Browning is challenged by Betty Hollon and Dallas Bozich. Ashley Slater is opposed by Bob Hancock for her Position 3 seat. On the Bellville School Board, Position 7 incumbent Andrew Murrell faces challenger Heather Novicke, while Jessica Gordon and Mimi Rettig are seeking the Position 6 seat formerly held by Vince Ruffino, who resigned in January.
Sealy ISD has one contested race on the school board. Position 5 incumbent Ryan Reichardt is challenged by Ralph Bond. The City of Sealy has five propositions asking voters to consider removing partial terms being calculated towards term limits, allowing the city council to fill vacancies by appointment if the unexpired term is a year or less, permitting the council to extend the charter review commission’s term of office beyond six months, and amending the city charter to make language on forfeiture of office and canvassing elections consistent with state law.
Three La Grange City Council positions are on the ballot. The Ward 1 race features incumbent Kathy Weishuhn against Sandy Hooper. Ward 2 incumbent Violet “Patsy” Zbranek faces Ken Taylor. Chris Jernigan and Arthur Bosque are vying for a one-year term for the Ward 4 seat that Jernigan currently holds by appointment. On the La Grange School Board, there are two contested races, each with three candidates seeking to replace an outgoing board member. For Place 1, the seat of Dr. Don Mayer will be filled by Blake Harbers, Jan Hill or Anthony Wessels, while the Place 2 position of Greg Trlicek will go to Jim Howse, Brandon Schielack or Travis Ulrich.
Round Top has one town alderperson seat up for election, with incumbent Lynn Conine challenged by Owen Massey and Jeannette Burger. The City of Carmine will seek voter approval to reauthorize the city’s 0.25 percent sales and use tax to continue providing revenue to repair and maintain streets.
The Caldwell School Board has three seats up for grabs. Incumbent Rebecca Gardner is seeking re-election, but the positions of Clover Cochran and Tripp Warrant are open to newcomers Gregory Cook, Matthew Hicks, Vicki Ochs, Blake Nelson and Krista Zwernemann. There are no contested races for the Caldwell City Council.
In Somerville, five candidates will pursue election to three city council seats, those being incumbents Amanda Flencher, Deonna Strickland Moses and Jeff Schoppe, along with challengers Sherry Jean Miller and Fred Elliott. The Somerville School Board race has two seats up for election, sought by incumbents James Urbanosky and Linda Pinkerton, and challengers Sylvia Hutson Edmonson and Sammy Hudgen.
Snook’s City Council race has five candidates for three seats. Incumbent Jared Snow is joined on the ballot by challengers Linda Adair, Matthew Collins, Frank Fields and Tina Vega. Two seats are up for election for the Snook School Board, with incumbents Bradley Prihoda and Neshae Thomas running alongside Tiffany Sodolak.
Burleson County voters will decide on the creation of a County Assistance District (CAD), which would assess an additional 1.5 percent sales tax on products sold in the county’s unincorporated areas. The CAD is expected to provide over $1 million in additional revenue annually for the county. The tax would not impact sales taxes in the city limits of Caldwell, Snook or Somerville.
The City of Giddings has two candidates running for mayor and four candidates for two council positions. Ramzi Awad and Joel Lopez are facing off for the position of John Dowell, who is not running for another term as mayor. City Council incumbent Linda Pruitt is running alongside Jason Haas, Randi Maass and Mark Muniz for election to two seats. On the Giddings School Board, incumbents Adam Awad, Mark Johnson and Spencer Schneider are all seeking election, as well as newcomers Adrian Lara, Mikel Luna and Torie Morrow.
For the Navasota City Council, two incumbents will face challengers. Councilmembers Bernie Gessner and Pattie Pederson will be opposed by Doris Sauls and Eustacio Ostigin, respectively. Meanwhile, voters in Iola ISD will vote on a $24 million bond to renovate the elementary administration building, add classrooms, build a new multipurpose gym, and fund other campus improvements. There is also a contested race for Position 7 on the Iola School Board, with incumbent Dedra Nevill and Sierra Betancourt running.
Hempstead residents will vote on the position of mayor and two council seats. For mayor, incumbent Dave Shelburne is challenged by Erica Gillum, who currently holds the Position 1 seat on the council. Her position is sought by Mildred Jefferson and Jacob Rahdarian. Position 2 incumbent Cindy Hill-Pearce is challenged by Walter Pendleton. The Hempstead School Board has two seats on the ballot. The Position 2 race will see Daveta Vana, Candice Adams or James Glover fill the seat of Kay Kloecker, who is not running for re-election, while Position 3 incumbent Albert Garfield faces Elaine Webb.
These races coincide with the statewide constitutional amendment election that all voters will be able to participate in. Election Day is Saturday.