Following his win in the race for Friendswood City Council, Michael Ross told Community Impact on May 4 that the win was "for the families, the small businesses and every neighbor who cares about what makes Friendswood feel like home." He added that he is going to keep working to "make sure every corner of Friendswood is heard."
"We're a town built on real values and close-knit communities, and that's exactly what we're going to protect," he said. "Every voice matters. Not just the powerful."
Unofficial results from Galveston and Harris counties have Ross winning the seat for Position 6, defeating Tom Hinckley. Results will remain unofficial until canvassed at a future date.
Update 8 a.m., May 4
With all precincts reporting from both Galveston and Harris counties, Michael Ross has maintained his lead in the race for Friendswood City Council Position 6 against Tom Hinckley, according to unofficial results from each county.
Ross obtained 1,345 votes, or 56.23%, to Hinckley's 1,047 votes, or 43.77%, unofficial results show.
Results will remain unofficial until canvassed at a future date.
What they're saying
Ross could not be reached for comment on the results and had not posted on social media as of 8 a.m. May 4.
Brent Erenwert, who is the current occupant of Position 6 on Friendswood City Council, congratulated Ross in a social media post. He also thanked Hinckley and gave credit to both for how they ran their campaigns.
"Friendswood was lucky to have two strong individuals willing to step up and serve," Erenwert said.
One more thing
The other Friendswood ballot on the item was for City Council Position 4, which was uncontested. Incumbent Robert Griffon was the lone candidate, according to city filings.
Update 10:30 p.m.
With 100% of precincts reporting in Galveston County as well as some votes trickling in from Harris County, Michael Ross has taken a total of 1,338 votes, or 56.17%, to Tom Hinckley's 1,044, or 43.83%, unofficial results show.
While some Harris County precincts remain uncounted, the vast majority of ballots cast were in Galveston County, according to unofficial results. The pair received 98 total votes in Harris County as of 10:30 p.m.
Results are unofficial until canvassed at a later date.
Ross could not be reached for comment May 3.
Posted at 7:15 p.m.
With polls starting to close around Texas as of 7 p.m. for a number of local races on May 3, results for Friendswood City Council’s lone competitive race are starting to come in.
As of 7 p.m., unofficial election results show Michael P. Ross leading the race for Position 6 of Friendswood City Council.
Results are not final until canvassed at a later date and are subject to change throughout the night.
What you need to know
Ross is leading with 818 votes, or 52.5%, to opponent Tom Hinckley's 740 votes, or 47.5%, according to unofficial results.
Meet the candidates
In his Q&A responses to Community Impact, Hinckley said his biggest priority would be to “ensure strong communication with the community” and to continue being present and visible in the community.
Ross said he wanted to ensure all public works projects were funded and finished on time, putting an emphasis on flooding and drainage issues, according to his responses.
Click here to read the full Q&A.
What else?
Friendswood has two races on the May 3 ballot. However, one, the race for Position 4, is uncontested as only incumbent Robert Griffon filed, according to the city’s website.
Community Impact will update this article as more election day vote 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.
