Posted 12:00 a.m. May 5
Both city of Fulshear races in the May 4 election maintained tight margins between competitors, with the mayoral race leading to a runoff.
What residents need to know
The tight vie for Fulshear mayor will continue with a runoff on June 15 between Joel Patterson and Don McCoy since none of the candidates received more than 50.1% of the votes.
Fort Bend County's unofficial final results for the mayoral race show:
- Patterson with 42.7% or 480 votes
- McCoy with 42.62% or 479 votes
- Dominic Giametta Jr. followed with 14.68% or 165 votes
In an interview, McCoy said he is pleased with the results, especially being a first-time political candidate against others who have held city positions.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from the Fulshear community,” he said. “Now more than ever, it’s crucial to come together to make our vision for the future of Fulshear a reality; let’s lean in and keep the momentum going and win this race together.”
Leading up to the runoff, McCoy said he wants to target community members who may not be aware of the local elections or who did not come out and vote to ensure they have a say in their representation.
“Fulshear is exploding with growth and it is important to have everybody’s opinions; ... their voices need to be heard,” he said.
In a May 5 interview, Patterson said the election outcome was what he expected, especially with three candidates vying for the position. Although, he said he saw higher support in Precinct 1149 with 17% of the votes than he initially expected.
“I’m very happy with how it turned out because Don is so well known,” Patterson said. “I’m proud I was able to win by one point to get the runoff.”
Heading into the runoff, Patterson said he believes continuity is important as the city heads into this next year, with major projects and priorities including:
- Completing the executive search for city manager
- Improving water infrastructure
- Five-year Capital Improvement Plan updates
- Diversifying tax base with economic development
What else?
The City Council At-Large race also saw a narrow window between incumbent Jason Knape, with 50.84% or 542 votes, and challenger Kim Stacy, with 49.16% or 524 votes.
Knape said he does not expect to see a change in results after the canvassing. He said he also had a tight race in 2022 and did not formally find out about the results until after the final canvas.
"You can’t change anything, ... you have to let it finish out its course and get everything in and make it official,” Knape said. “Until then, nothing changes—I still represent Fulshear and hopefully through canvas and being sworn back in again through re-election, I’ll continue to represent Fulshear.”
One more thing
There were also several other City Council positions up for grabs, but contestants ran unopposed, including:
- Fulshear City Council, District 2: Patrick Powers
- Fulshear City Council District 3: Christina Baron
What happens next?
Election results are set to be canvassed at a special City Council meeting on May 14, and newly elected positions will be sworn in at the meeting, pending finalized results.
Results are unofficial until canvassed.
Posted 7:40 p.m. May 4
Fort Bend County has released early voting results for a variety of local races in the May 4 uniform election, including multiple contested races in Fulshear for mayor and a City Council At-Large position.
What you need to know
Three contestants are vying to be the next mayor of Fulshear as Mayor Aaron Groff finishes his last term allowed by limits. He was first elected in May 2018.
Early voting for the Fulshear mayor race show:
- Joel Patterson with 41.44% or 322 votes
- Don McCoy with 42.6% or 331 votes
- Dominic Giametta Jr. with 15.96% or 124 votes
At the polls
Fort Bend County saw 11,678 early voters visit the polls between April 22-30, representing only 2.13% of the county’s 535,160 voters. During the early voting period, the county saw a 34.14% decrease in the turnout of voters compared to May 2023 elections.
The polls closed at 7 p.m., although voters who were in line before closing will still be able to cast their ballots.
Stay tuned
Community Impact will update this article as more election day totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
