Staff Report
With the city election canceled due to only incumbents running, Rockwall’s attention turned to the school board races during this election cycle.
Former Heath Mayor Chris Cuny and Russ Childers took the win in the school board races, both by a significant margin.
Cuny took 69.88 percent of the vote to beat Tony Fisk in Place 1 by a vote total of 1,450 to 625.
In Place 2, Russ Childers won 72.80 percent of the vote to stave off two challengers for the seat. Childers totalled 1,459 votes to Earl Milner’s 324 and Norman Quintero’s 221.
Incumbent Craig Zurek ran unopposed in Place 3 and received 1,685 votes.
Baley wins mayor’s race in Royse City
In one of the more talked about mayor’s races in recent history, Jerrell Baley claimed the mayor’s seat for the upcoming city council with a convincing 59 percent of the vote over former city manager Connie Goodwin (31 percent) and William J. Archer (nearly 9 percent).
James Branch also claimed a win over Mark Plemmons for Place 5 with a vote margin of 252 to 203.
It was a much closer race in the three-way race for Place 1 on the city council with Janet Nichol garnering the highest number of votes with 217. Brooks M. Williams claimed 192 votes and Xavier Cortez came in third with 81.
There had been some questions from the public as to whether or not there would be a runoff in the Place 1 race as there was no candidate receiving a majority of votes. Nichol received 44.29 percent of the votes cast in the Place 1 race.
Royse City Manager Bill Shipp clarified that there would be no runoff since an amendment was made to the city charter in November of 2007.
Charter section 5.04 states that in any city race, the candidate on the ballot who collects the highest number of votes will automatically be declared the winner of that election.
By choosing that method of resolving close races the city saves on the cost and logistical concerns associated with holding extra runoff elections.
In prior elections there had been elections that resulted in runoff votes taking place, including the election of currently-serving councilmember Don Becknell in 2005.
Former County Judge Bill Bell ran unopposed for Place 3 and garnered 399 votes.
While the May 9 ballot was also scheduled to be a deciding day for the Royse City Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, that vote was previously cancelled due to having only incumbent candidates filing to run.
Fate City Council
Fate’s hotly contested council races ended up with the election of one incumbent, and an appointee to council who had been in Place 6, taking Place 5, and two other candidates.
Those voted into office were, Place 1, Kerry Wiemokly, of Woodcreek, over Autumn Lobinsky, who had served on the charter committee. Wiemokly had 237 votes, 60.61 percent; Lobinsky 154, 39.39 percent.
Place 3 went to incumbent Forest Murley, with 256 votes, 63.37 percent; over Wilbur “Willie” Williams, pastor of Calvary Church, with 148 votes, 36.63 percent.
Place 5 went to K.C. Erwin, who had been appointed to council Place 6. He had 217 votes, 54.94 percent. Ryan Pfuhl had 117 votes, 29.62 percent.
Brad Bianucci received 61 votes, 15.44 percent.
Place 6, the new seat created by the Fate City Charter adoption in November, went to Tammy Ryan of Woodcreek, with 273 votes, 67.57 percent. Former mayor David Hill received 131 votes, 32.43 percent. The Place 6 seat is a one-year term.
Winners in every seat were those who had received campaign donations from Kyle Kruppa of Provident Realty Advisors, and Paul Cheng of Williamsburg, and who often had signs placed together.
Except for Bianucci, those who did not win became affiliated with Urban Fire Protection via their signs being placed on a building owned by the president of the company, and in some cases, employment.
