With all precincts reporting late in the night May 6, incumbent Raul Vela Jr. will remain as the Hays CISD single-member District 1 trustee with 201 votes over challenger Bill Ward's 71 votes.
"I'm honored that I was re-elected. I look forward to serving this community and even those that I didn't win their vote, they have a voice as well. We'll keep doing everything we can to keep moving our district forward," Vela Jr. told Community Impact. "I have a lot of people to thank: ... first and foremost, family, I appreciate my wife and our boys for their support; the board members; so many in the community. There's no such thing as a one person seat even though one person sits in it. It really does take a community and I think our community spoke tonight."
Single-Member District 2 incumbent Esmeralda Pérez-González lost her seat to challenger Johnny Flores with 125 and 241 votes, respectively.
"I certainly look forward to serving the people of District 2 and the entire district. I'd like to thank my opponent for a great race, Dr. Pérez-González," Flores told Community Impact. "I want to emphasize that this is not my victory, this is the people's victory."
When asked about the possibility of running for the school board again, Pérez-González said she is unsure what the future holds for her but she will continue being involved with the community.
"I'm wishing the district all the best as they continue forging ahead. It has been a great pleasure serving on this school board," Pérez-González told Community Impact. "I'd like to thank my supporters. I definitely appreciate the confidence they've had in my work ethic throughout the past 18 months."
Posted 8 p.m. May 6
Based on early voting totals May 6, incumbent Raul Vela Jr. maintains the lead for the Hays CISD Single-Member District 1 seat with 74.83% of the votes; challenger Bill Ward trails at 25.17% of the votes.
Vela, Jr. was first elected to the HCISD board of trustees in 2020 and previously served in the district's Facilities & Bond Oversight committee. Currently, he serves as the general manager of a public transportation company that provides services to individuals with disabilities.
Challenger Ward is a senior software engineer and also has five children who attend HCISD schools.
The HCISD Single-Member District 2 race is led by challenger Johnny Flores, a local teacher, with 67.24% of the vote.
Incumbent Esmeralda Pérez-González has garnered 32.76% of the votes. Pérez-González was initially appointed to the board of trustees in December 2021 following the former trustees resignation, as previously reported by Community Impact.
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
To view all local elections, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.
