Updated 9:26 p.m. June 13 with candidate's statement

Unofficial results indicate Joe Zimmerman has won the runoff election for Sugar Land Mayor and Mary Joyce has taken his City Council at large position 2 seat.

Joe Zimmerman won the Sugar Land Mayor seat.[/caption]

With all 29 precincts reporting, Zimmerman has received 5,338 votes, or 61.1 percent of the electorate, while opponent and fellow Council Member Harish Jajoo has received 3,396 votes, or 38.9 percent, according to the Fort Bend County Elections and Voter Registration Office.

Zimmerman thanked his supporters in a statement June 13.

"My journey to become Sugar Land’s Mayor began well over a year ago," he said. "Moving forward, I will continue to value your input as we work together to make Sugar Land the best place to live, work and play!"

Jajoo said the election was "an important moment" for the city and congratulated Zimmerman in a statement.

"We had a robust debate about the city's future, and the voters made their decision," Jajoo said. "While we have different ideas about how to govern, we shared the same love for our community and desire to see it become better."

In the at large position 2 race, Joyce has received 4,991 votes, or 60.2 percent of the electorate, while opponent Naomi Lam has received 3,307 votes, or 39.9 percent, according to the Fort Bend County Elections and Voter Registration Office.

Lam said she hoped the newly elected officials would commit to not bringing more multifamily housing to the city.

"We tried to delver a message to the voters," she said of her campaign. "There's a lot of people helping me in the community and I really appreciated it."

Joyce could not be reached for comment.

Mary Joyce won the City Council at large position 2 seat.[/caption]

Posted 7:55 p.m.

According to June 11 unofficial early voting results, Joe Zimmerman is leading in the runoff race for Sugar Land mayor and Mary Joyce is leading the votes for City Council at large position 2. 

Sugar Land Mayor

Early returns reported Sugar Land City Council member Zimmerman has received 3,414 votes, or 64.4 percent of the electorate, while opponent and fellow Council Member Harish Jajoo has received 1,884 votes, or 35.6 percent, according to the Fort Bend County Elections and Voter Registration Office.

Jajoo and Zimmerman were the top two vote getters among five mayoral candidates in the May 7 city elections. Both engineers, Saturday’s candidates ran on their City Council experience while Zimmerman pledged to preserve public safety and improve infrastructure. Jajoo campaigned for lower property taxes.

The City Council consists of a mayor and six council members elected by the voters for a term of two years, or until their successors have been elected and qualified, according to the city of Sugar Land. Zimmerman is relinquishing his seat for City Council at large position 2; however, Jajoo did not need to vacate his District 4 seat in order to run for mayor.

He may resume his office for the remainder of his term if not elected to mayor, according to the Sugar Land city secretary.

Position 2

In the at large position 2 race, early returns indicate Joyce has received 3,217 votes, or 63.6 percent of the electorate, while opponent Naomi Lam has received 1,838 votes, or 36.4 percent, according to the Fort Bend County Elections and Voter Registration Office.

Joyce, retired from finance and project management, has pushed for mobility options as the city grows while Lam, a real estate investor, campaigned for more growth in business development.

Lam is backed by the citizen group Sugar Land Votes, which petitioned the city in the fall for a 200-unit cap on multifamily housing in planned developments. The group also backed Lloyd Myatt Hancock for mayor and Diana Miller for City Council at large position 1, however Miller lost to incumbent Himesh Gandhi on May 7.

All results are unofficial until canvassed.