Taxpayers within cities and school districts in Nacogdoches County voiced their opinions Saturday in electing leadership and in determining how taxpayer dollars will be spent.
CITY OF NACOGDOCHES
A small turnout at the polls Saturday was enough to re-elect Billy Huddleston Jr. to the southwest ward commissioner's seat, but not enough to select a winner in the southeast ward race, which was split between three candidates. There will be a runoff election between the top two candidates, Roy Boldon and William Sanders. Sanders received 72 votes; Boldon received 82 votes; Tom Lucas, who will not be on the runoff ballot, received 29 votes.
The runoff election will be June 10, with five days of early voting.
Huddleston said he was pleased with his victory after the hardest run campaign of his 11-year tenure on the commission.
"I'm pleased to be able to continue to serve. I still really enjoy doing it," Huddleston said. He said he was disappointed by the low voter turnout and suggested that an endorsement for either candidate by The Daily Sentinel could have inspired more citizens to head to the polls.
"It is a little disappointing that there's not a higher voter turnout, but I will take the 119 votes that I got and be very happy," he said.
His opponent, David Norton, said he was more disappointed at the low turnout than losing the race.
"That's one of the things that I hoped that I could do was get the southwest ward more interested in voting," he said. "I'm very disappointed in the voter turnout. There should have been more."
Norton said it was too early to know whether he would consider running again in the future. He also praised his opponent for representing the ward well. "The ward didn't lose by re-electing Billy," he said.
The two leaders in the southeast ward both said they were determined to redouble their campaign efforts in preparation for the runoff. Despite Saturday night's results, which showed Boldon with a 10-vote edge, each candidate said confidently that he was going to win.
Boldon said he was expecting a runoff after learning of the light voter turnout, but did not see it as a setback.
"When I originally decided to run, I was expecting to win. But a runoff, I can handle that too," he said. "I am the best candidate, I'm just going to have to go one more step to prove it."
Sanders seemed similarly confident. "I don't see it being an obstacle," he said. "We've got to try to get more people out, that's all I can say."
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GARRISON ISD SCHOOL BOND
Garrison residents voted overwhelmingly in opposition of a $5 million bond, which included funds for a new gymnasium, a band hall, a girls athletic facility and elementary playground.
The final vote came in at 473 against the bond and 147 in favor.
Concerned Taxpayers for a Better GISD, a group opposed to the bond, built a case against the issue by saying the school district should use available funds to build the needed facilities.
"We're proud of how many people in our community voted," Lane Barton, a spokesman for the group said. "That proves that our children and education are top priority.
"The group felt like from the onset that the decision did not represent the feeling from the community," he added.
The group claimed the bond would put the community in debt for up to 40 years, and the tax increase would have a negative effect.
"We still have facilities that have needs, and our next step is to assure that those needs are met," Barton said. "Our hopes to build a band hall and athletic facility can still be met and provided — using available funds.
"Basically, it should be pay-as-you-go," he said.
While many around town have had differences in opinions, Barton conceded, he believes the community has "been able to weather this."
"We'll see each other at church (today), and we'll see each other at work on Monday — this is a close community," Barton said.
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CITY OF GARRISON
Two seats on the city council were decided Saturday with Bobby Dale Cranford and Dian Mosby clenching the positions.
Mosby claimed 99 votes, Cranford received 78 votes, and third-place finisher Linda Starr garnered 44 votes.
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CITY OF CHIRENO
James Orland Strickland, Kenneth Earl Murray and James Ricky Holloway won seats on the city council Saturday.
Strickland received 41 votes, Murray 34, Holloway 40, to beat Robert Glenn Davis, who garnered 13 votes.
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GARRISON ISD SCHOOL BOARD
In a field of seven candidates and one write-in candidate, Billy Cooper, Randy Crawford and write-in Russell O'Dell, won seats on the school board.
Crawford led the count with 368 votes, while Cooper scored 339 votes and O'Dell claimed 239 votes.
Challengers Chris Clark, Shane Holeman, Allen Russell, Andy Gresham and Sam Stanaland received 123, 156, 93, 131, and 149 votes respectively.
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CUSHING ISD SCHOOL BOARD
Brett Reeves and Bobby Brashears won seats on the board, and incumbent Lynda Langham was re-elected.
Langham scored 165 votes, Brashears' votes tallied 245 and Reeves claimed 148 votes.
Brett Tucker and John Barron did not garner enough votes for re-election, with 107 votes and 82 votes, respectively.
Candidate Stanley Wade received 104 votes.
