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Stephen Hicks -
Doug Brister
Stephen Brister Hicks unseated Lometa Mayor Carlos Garcia in Tuesday’s election, and Doug Brister prevailed for one of two at-large seats on the City Council.
County Elections Administrator Mark Bishop said with some ballots still to be counted, the races for the other Lometa council at-large seat and for a position on the Lometa Independent School District Board of Trustees are too close to declare a winner at this point.
In the mayoral race, Hicks collected 90 votes, compared to 69 votes for Garcia. Sara Salinas got 62 votes.
RACE FOR AT-LARGE COUNCIL SEATS
The four-person race for two Lometa City Council seats uses an at-large system. As a result, the two candidates who receive the most votes are elected.
Doug Brister prevailed with 161 votes – more than double the tally of the secondplace candidate.
The contest for second place is very close, as Ronnie Cartwright leads Shirl Rae Shineldecker 79 to 77, based on Tuesday results that were listed as “unoffcial.”
Incumbent Councilman Larry Koch received 61 votes.
LOMETA SCHOOL BOARD
The Lometa ISD Board of Trustees race also had a twovote margin when unoffcial results were announced Tuesday.
Tabithe Whitehead led Amanda Tower by three votes when only early and absentee votes had been counted, but Tower's fivevote advantage on election day gave her a total of 311 votes to Whitehead's total of 309.
BALLOTS STILL TO REVIEW
Asked if the results have been finalized for the second Lometa council seat and the Lometa school board race, Bishop noted that review of certain ballots will continue over the next several days.
Ballots by mail continued to arrive Wednesday, Bishop said. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 will be counted, the elections administrator said.
The final day for the county elections offce to receive Federal Postcard Application ballots – for active-duty military members absent from their voting residence, such military members’ eligible family members and U.S. citizens residing abroad – is Monday, Bishop said.
The last day for the county elections offce to review provisional ballots is Tuesday.
The Early Voting Ballot Board plans to meet Nov. 11, Bishop said. When the board convenes, it will count ballots by mail that arrived after Nov. 3, will count Federal Postcard Application ballots and will review provisional ballots.
COMMENTS FROM CANDIDATES
Asked what helped him to prevail in the mayoral race, Hicks emphasized trust.
“I hope that everybody trusts me enough that I’m going to try to do everything I can to make Lometa a better town – a town that people want to come to,” he said.
“I hope everybody voted for me with confidence that maybe between me and the new City Council, maybe we can get something done,” he added.
Hicks said his priorities include keeping water out from under houses by making sure bar ditches are clean and unobstructed, trying to get some of the “rough streets in town fixed up” and making several improvements at Lometa Regional Park.
Hicks said he wants to see the children’s play area at the park improved, as he said now there is nothing in that area except grass burrs. The mayor-elect also said the city needs to clean the baseball fields and recreational vehicle spots at the park, as well as plant trees to replace dying oaks.
“I understand the mayor doesn’t have a whole lot of power,” Hicks added, “but maybe between me and the council, we can get something done.”
Asked what about his message resonated with voters, Brister said he did a lot of person-to-person campaigning and has lived his whole life in Lometa.
“Really, all I know is I did a lot of campaigning, and I’m a local boy,” the councilmanelect said, “and I think that had a lot to do with it.
“I really appreciate the people of Lometa – that they supported me, and I appreciate that,” Brister added, “and it’s an honor to represent them on the City Council. And I hope the good Lord gives me wisdom to make good decisions for the city of Lometa.”
Brister said he will have to see what items the council will work on in the months to come, as he said he will be just one voice on the city’s governing body. He did list one specific priority of his, though.
“I’d like to see some streets paved, for sure,” he said.
VOTER TURNOUT
On Wednesday, Bishop reported that Lampasas County had total voter turnout of 10,405 in the election, as compared to the county’s 15,408 registered voters. That equates to 67.5% of registered voters casting a ballot in the election.