San Marcos mayoral candidate Ruben Becerra will not request a recount of the Dec. 13 runoff election results that showed he lost the race to John Thomaides by 42 votes.
Updated: 8:51 p.m. Dec. 13
John Thomaides has won the race for San Marcos mayor, according to unofficial results.
Becerra said he plans to request a recount. He said he appreciates the support he has received so far from family, friends and the community.
Thomaides, who said he lost his previous mayoral bid, called the fact that unofficial results
indicate he won this year's race by 42 votes "an anomaly.""It’s just been such a long election season and everyone was so sick of that and ready to move past that, and they had to come out and vote a second time," Thomaides said. "Right now the main goal starting tomorrow morning is to start the healing and try to come together with the community."
According to unofficial results, Saul Gonzales and Ed Mihalkanin have defeated Shane Scott and Jason Dalton Montgomery in the races for Place 2 and 3 respectively on San Marcos City Council.
Gonzales received 2,275 votes or 68.26 percent of the total, and Scott received 1,058 votes or 31.74 percent of the total.
Mihalkanin received 2,167 votes, or 67.93 percent of the total, and Montgomery received 1,023 votes or 32.07 percent of the total.
"I appreciate everybody coming out in the general election campaign and in the runoff," Mihalkanin said. "This has been a very long campaign."
Updated: 8:35 p.m. Dec. 13
According to election day returns, John Thomaides has overcome a 5-vote deficit after early voting to win the San Marcos mayor's race.
With 19 of 19 precincts reporting, Thomaides has received 1,727 votes, or 50.62 percent of the total, to Becerra's 1,685 votes, or 49.38 percent of the total.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. The city plans to canvass the vote Dec. 21.
Updated: 7:21 p.m. Dec. 13
According to early returns, Saul Gonzales leads Shane Scott in the race for San Marcos City Council Place 2. Gonzales has received 1,518 votes, or 66.32 percent of the total, and Scott received 771 early votes, or 33.68 percent of the total.
Gonzales has previously served on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Scott has previously served on City Council and is a small-business owner.
Updated: 7:15 p.m. Dec. 13
According to early returns, Ed Mihalkanin leads Jason Dalton Montgomery in the race for San Marcos City Council Place 3. Mihalkanin has received 1,450 votes, or 66.06 percent of the total, and Montgomery received 745 early votes, or 33.94 percent of the total.
Mihalkanin, a professor at Texas State University, said he is pleased with the results so far. Mihalkanin said he spoke with numerous residents before making the decision to run, and many expressed concern with the direction the city is taking. Mihalkanin cited decisions to remove Cape's Dam and convert traffic on LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street from one-way to two-way traffic as issues that he heard on the campaign trail.
"If the numbers hold out for the rest of the evening, the people of this town don’t like what the majority of this council—or what could be perceived as the majority of the council—is pushing," Mihalkanin said.
Updated: 7:07 p.m. Dec. 13
According to early voting returns, Ruben Becerra has a slight lead over John Thomaides in a runoff to become the next San Marcos mayor. Becerra has secured 1,181 votes, or 50.11 percent of the total, and Thomaides received 1,181 early votes, or 49.89 percent of the total.
San Marcos mayoral candidate Ruben Becerra celebrated his early voting lead with supporters at Gil's Broiler.[/caption]Becerra, who owns Gil’s Broiler & Manske Roll Bakery as well as Dixie Cream Donuts, said he is reserving comment until the final count comes in.
“It looks good, but we’ll see,” Becerra said.
Thomaides has served on City Council for 13 years and owns a small business in the San Marcos area.
Posted: 2 p.m. Dec. 13
Today is the last day to cast a ballot in the four runoff elections in Hays County. In San Marcos, two City Council seats and the mayor’s seat are up for grabs, and in Buda, one City Council seat will be decided tonight. Polls are open today until 7 p.m. To find your precinct's designated polling place, click here.
San Marcos mayor
John Thomaides and Ruben Becerra are facing off for the San Marcos mayor’s seat because none of the five candidates in the Nov. 8 election received more than 50 percent of votes.
Thomaides has received endorsements from the San Marcos Professional Firefighters Association, the San Marcos Police Officers Association and College Democrats at Texas State, among others.
Becerra has received endorsements from current City Council Member Lisa Prewitt, Place 3 candidate Ed Mihalkanin and the San Marcos Educators-Texas State Teacher's Association. Becerra is hosting a watch party for his supporters at 7:30 p.m. at Gil's Broiler, 328 N. LBJ Drive, San Marcos.
San Marcos Place 2
Shane Scott and Saul Gonzales will face off in the race for Place 2 on San Marcos City Council.
Gonzales said he does not plan to host a watch party, but said he is feeling good about the campaign.
"We ran a clean campaign, and so did [Scott], so I'm good," Gonzales said.
Scott said he does not have plans to hold a watch party.
San Marcos Place 3
Ed Mihalkanin and Jason Dalton Montgomery will face off in the race for Place 3 on City Council. None of the four candidates in the Nov. 8 election received more than 50 percent of the vote.
Mihalkanin plans to watch results as they come in at Cafe on the Square, 126 N. LBJ Drive, San Marcos. Montgomery said he plans to watch the results at home.
Buda Place 1
Lee Urbanovsky and John Hatch are facing off in the race for Place 1 on Buda City Council. None of the three candidates received more than 50 percent of votes in the Nov. 8 election.
Urbanovsky said he plans to watch the results with his campaign supporters at the Tavern on Main, 116 Main St., Buda. Hatch plans to watch the results from Cleveland's, 100 N. Main St., Buda, starting at 6:45 or 7 p.m.
