Tomball ISD results: Incumbents Schiel, McLeod likely winners; Unser ahead in 3-way race

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Matt Schiel.

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Updated 9:27 a.m. Nov. 4

With all voting centers and precincts reporting in Harris and Montgomery counties, incumbents for the Tomball ISD board of trustees Positions 5, 6 and 7 have maintained their lead.

Matt Schiel, incumbent for Position 5, had a commanding lead over opponent Lonnell Graham with 77.22% of votes, or the support of more than 24,000 ballots.

"I'm humbled that that many people trusted me with their vote to look after their kids or grandkids, and just trusting me to keep Tomball great and keep going in the direction we're going in right now," Schiel said in an interview Nov. 4. "[Four years ago] I told them, I said, 'Hey, you know, I'm here for everybody. I'm here for the parents, for the kids, for the teachers—trying to look out for everybody.' And that's what I'm going to keep doing the next four years. ... If there's a problem and I don't know about it, I can't fix it for you."

While incumbent Justin Unser—appointed to fill an unexpired term in June 2019—leads the race for Position 6 with 41.45% of votes—or 12,512 votes—candidate Ursula Gassaway received 10,145 votes, or 33.61% of the vote.

Opponent Joseph Ferguson received 24.94% of votes.

Unser could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

In Position 7, incumbent Lee McLeod received 70.05% of the vote—or 22,135 votes—with opponent Annisa White trailing with 29.95% of the vote.

McLeod could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Updated 11:57 p.m. Nov. 3

The three incumbents for the Tomball ISD board of trustees positions 5, 6 and 7 lead the three races, respectively, as of late Tuesday night. However, the three-way race for Position 6—currently held by Justin Unser—has no candidate garnering more than 40% of the vote, according to unofficial election results from Harris and Montgomery counties. With 471 of 797 voting centers in Harris County and all voting precincts in Montgomery County reporting, Unser has a slight lead with 39.94% of votes, followed by Ursula Gassaway with 32.25% of votes and Joseph Ferguson trailing with 27.8% of votes.

For position 5, results from Harris and Montgomery counties show incumbent Matt Schiel with a commanding lead at 77.09% of votes. Similarly, incumbent Lee McLeod has a commanding lead for Position 7 with 69.78% of votes.

Posted 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3

Three seats on the Tomball ISD board of trustees are up for election this November. With the first election returns in for Tomball ISD—which includes a small amount of Montgomery County voting precincts—incumbent Matt Schiel is leading the race for Position 5 against Lonnell Graham with 76.83% of the 28,171 votes.

In a previous interview with Community Impact Newspaper, Schiel said he believes the district can improve by continuing to care for the "whole child" in learning.

"Two years ago, the district began launching programs that addressed the social-emotional needs of our students and families. While we have made great strides by implementing several programs in our schools, we need to continue to assess and add to these programs," Schiel said previously. "Our students and families’ needs are constantly changing. We owe it to them to equip them with the best resources available."

For Position 6—currently held by Justin Unser—Unser leads the three-way race, although no candidate has yet received a majority of votes. The incumbent garnered 40.99% of the 26,675 votes as of the initial returns, with candidate Ursula Gassaway and Joseph Ferguson following with 33.77% and 25.24% of votes, respectively.

Unser said in a previous interview with Community Impact Newspaper he believes the biggest challenges facing the district over the next four years—the term a TISD trustee serves—include funding from the state, particularly in light of COVID-19's effects on the economy.

"As a district and community, we are all aware of the many challenges and hardships created so suddenly by the arrival of COVID-19. The full economic impact at the local, state, and federal levels will not be well understood for years to come," he said previously.

Further, as of initial election returns, incumbent Lee McLeod leads the race for Position 7 against Annisa White with 69.59% of the 27,950 votes. McLeod said in a previous interview with Community Impact Newspaper the biggest challenges facing the district in the upcoming term are wise growth management and nurturing a "deep sense of community."

"Fortunately, we have an amazing team in finance and facilities, along with the executive cabinet, they pour over demographic data to help anticipate the who, what and when of TISD," McLeod said previously. "The other challenge—nurturing a deep sense of community is something everyone is responsible for."

Results are updated as of 7:21 p.m. and are unofficial until they are canvassed and certified by the county clerk. Under Texas election law, the clerk accepts and counts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 4, if they were sent from inside the U.S., or Nov. 9 if they were sent from outside the U.S.