ELECTION WINNERS
Local seats filled in May 1 General Election
After the dust had settled last Saturday following May 1’s General Election, some incumbents and some newly elected candidates were deemed unofficial winners of races. All votes will become official after being canvassed by the local entity.
Candidates were vying for seats on city councils in Sealy, San Felipe, Wallis and Bellville as well as school boards in Sealy and Bellville. Also, a tax rate proposition for Austin County Emergency Services District No. 1 was on the ballot for voters in the district that covers the Frydek, Brazos Country, San Felipe areas to determine whether or not to authorize a maximum ad valorem tax rate of ten cents on each $100 of taxable value of property.
In Sealy, one incumbent won a seat on the city council and school board where two new faces join the council and one will join the school board.
Chris Noack (incumbent), Yvonne Johnson and Edward Zapalac held unofficial leads in the city council race at the end of the night and Joe Mike Young (incumbent) and John Sodolak were in the same position in the school board race.
For the mayoral races in Wallis and San Felipe, both incumbents won although the latter race had five provisional ballots yet to be counted as of Election Day. For Wallis, Dennis L. Diggs maintained his position with a 136-85 advantage. In San Felipe, Bobby Byars received 116 votes and challenger Kent McCallister received 111 and a winner had yet to be determined as of press time.
The tax rate proposal for EST #1, which failed in the November 2020 election, failed again with 343 votes against and 166 votes for.
Sealy City Council
Councilmember Position 2
Chris Noack: 275
Lee Wiley: 168
Councilmember Position 4
Yvonne Johnson: 237
Roxanna Saldana: 207
Councilmember Position 5
Sandra Lee: 138
Edward Zapalac: 309
Sealy Independent School District
School Trustee Place 6
John Sodolak: 475
Ralph Bond: 123
Bradley A. Miller: 355
School Trustee Place 7
Claribel Barrera: 270
Joe Mike Young: 611
Monique Clinton: 47
ESD #1
Proposition A: Tax Rate
For: 166
Against: 343
City of Wallis
Mayor
Belinda Halfin: 85
Dennis L. Diggs: 136
City Council (2 open seats)
Bernadette Parr: 100
Dennis Kulhanek: 86
Darren Mikeska: 41
Donna Hoffman: 36
Melissa McFarland: 142
San Felipe City Council
Mayor
Bobby Byars: 116
Kent McCallister: 111
Alderman Position (2 open seats)
Jeffrey Davidson: 78
Sandy Brooks: 106
Larry Gentry: 135
Bellville City Council
Mayor
James Harrison (unopposed): 216
Alderman Position 2
Arlie D. Kendrick (unopposed): 239
Alderman Position 4
Clay Kistler: 159
Paul C. Looney: 119
Bellville Independent School District
School Trustee Position 3
Jim Batson (unopposed): 249
School Trustee Position 4
Grant Lischka: 244
Nahida Saker: 32