All but one Friendswood City Charter amendment was approved by voters during the May 6 elections, according to a city press release.
The single charter amendment that was down voted in a close election was proposition No. 5, which would have eliminated the requirement to post city ordinances at city hall 72 hours prior to their consideration by city council. The proposition failed with 1,534 votes against the proposition and 1,443 votes for the proposed amendment.
Other amendments that were approved allowing city council to fill a council vacancy by appointment and requiring a majority of all council to approve an item for consideration before it can be added to the public agenda. A full description of the charter amendments can be found here.
The results will not officially be finalized until city council votes on the canvassed results on May 15, said Jeff Newpher, the communications director for the city of Friendswood.
Sally Branson, John Scott win Friendswood City Council election
Updated: 7:37 p.m.
The city of Friendswood released total election results for the May 6 elections.
Incumbent John Scott beat out contender David O'Farrell, who is the chairman of the city's planning and zoning commission. Scott received 58.7 percent of the vote,—1,876 individual votes— to O'Farrell's 41.3 percent—1,318 individual votes—according to a press release from the city.
"It feels awesome. It feels really good. As far as what I'm looking to do is continue to serve the community that I love," Scott said. "We won by a good margin, and I was pleased to find that the citizens of Friendswood feel the way that I feel about the growth and development of our community and protecting the property rights of homeowners in our community. The margin of victory said that loud and clear."
Running for the open council position No. 2 are Sally Branson and Omar Peck. Branson won in a close race, taking home 54.8 percent of the votes—or 1,740 individual votes— to Peck's 1,434 individual votes.
Polls closing soon for Friendswood city council, charter
Updated: 6:52 p.m.
Polls in Galveston County will close at 7 p.m., and the results of early election will be released at that time. Final results will be available later in the evening on May 6.
More information on the candidates can be found on Community Impact Newspaper‘s online May 2017 election guide.
On the ballot in Friendswood are two city council races and eight city charter amendments.
Incumbent John Scott is running for his third term on Friendswood City Council for position No. 5. He faces opposition from David O’Farrell, a Realtor and the chairman of the city’s planning and zoning commission.
Although Billy Enochs currently serves on city council position No. 2, he will step down in May to focus on his bid for Galveston County Commissioner in 2018. Two residents have stepped up to fill the open seat, Omar Peck and Sally Harris Branson.
Every five years, city council appoints members of the public to serve on a seven-member Charter Review Commission. The members work with the city attorney and city secretary to update, add, remove, revise or clarify any provisions of the charter.
This year’s amendments include allowing city council to fill a council vacancy by appointment, not requiring city ordinances to be posted at city hall and requiring a majority of all council to approve an item for consideration before it can be added to the public agenda. Click here to view the city’s sample ballot. And click here to read the city charter.
