The candidate filing period is open for the next election cycle in McKinney, which will include elections for three council seats and three MISD school board seats. The upcoming spring election will be held on May 6. Early voting will be held April 24-May 2. Polling locations and times have yet to be announced, according to the city of McKinney’s website.
Council will have three seats up for election. These include council positions for District 2, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Rainey Rogers, and District 4, currently held by Council Member Rick Franklin. The third seat up for election is At Large 2, currently held by Council Member Patrick Cloutier. Cloutier was elected to the position in a special election in January 2022 after former Councilman Frederick Fraizer announced his candidacy for Texas House of Representatives District 61.
As of 11 a.m. Jan. 26, three candidates have filed for election, according to city staff. These include Franklin for District 4 as well as Cloutier running for District 2. Michael Jones has also filed for election for the At Large 2 seat.
Council adopted a new district map at its Nov. 1 meeting. The new map was intended to realign McKinney’s four single-member districts into approximately equal populations. The districts most affected by the realignment are districts 1 and 3, represented by Council members Justin Beller and Geré Feltus, respectively, with some change to districts 2 and 4. Use the interactive map feature on the city of McKinney’s website to learn more about the district boundaries.
Applications are now available on the city’s elections webpage for those interested in running for a council position and who want to learn more about their eligibility. The deadline to file for a place on the ballot is 5 p.m. Feb. 17.
To be eligible for candidacy, applicants must be registered voters in the city for at least one year prior to election day, and they must physically reside in the city or district represented at the time of election and during their office term, according to the city’s website. For the at-large position on the council, candidates can reside within any of the districts in the city.
The ballot may also include a bond package item to fund a new terminal and infrastructure improvements at McKinney National Airport. The new terminal would add commercial passenger service to the airport. Council is expected to take action on this item at its Feb. 7 meeting, according to a presentation at a Jan. 17 council meeting.
Three seats on the MISD board are also up for election. These include board positions for Place 4, currently held by Board President Amy Dankel; Place 5, currently held by Board Member Lynn Sperry; and Place 6, currently held by Board Secretary Stephanie O’Dell. Candidates run for specific places on the board, but serve the entire district, according to the MISD website.
As of 11 a.m. Jan. 26, six candidates have filed for election, according to the MISD website. These include Dankel and Brittany Hendrickson for Place 4 as well as Rachel Elliott for Place 5. Three candidates have filed for election to Place 6, including O’Dell as well as Serena Ashcroft and James Westerheid.
Applications are now available at the MISD Central Administration building, located at 1 Duvall St., for those interested in running for a school board seat. To learn more about the eligibility requirements for school board candidates, visit the board of trustees page on the MISD website. The deadline to file for a place on the ballot is 5 p.m. Feb. 17.
The last day to register to vote in the upcoming spring election is April 6. Voters can visit the Collin County Elections Department website to check your voter registration status or find instructions on how to register to vote.
