By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A runoff is likely between Carmen Gutierrez and Elsa Reyes in the election for the At-Large, Place A, seat on the Del Rio City Council.
Gutierrez and Reyes were the top vote getters in a four-way contest that also included the At-Large, Place A, incumbent, Mayor Pro-tem Steve Webb, a retired police officer, and Arturo Rodriguez, a retired federal law enforcement officer.
Gutierrez, a small business owner and retired Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) administrator, was the early leader in the race, according to unofficial results announced outside the county courthouse by Val Verde County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy at 7:43 p.m. Saturday.
Chapoy announced Gutierrez had received an unofficial total of 517 early votes, with Reyes, a former city administrator, receiving an unofficial total of 268 early votes, Webb getting an unofficial total of 277 early votes and Rodriguez receiving an unofficial total of 65 early votes.
Reyes and Webb changed places in the contest when Chapoy announced the unofficial totals, including early votes and votes cast on Election Day, about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chapoy announced Gutierrez received an unofficial total of 707 votes; Reyes had an unofficial total of 412 votes; Webb had an unofficial total of 402 votes; and Rodriguez had an unofficial total of 88 votes.
But seats on the city council are decided by a majority vote, meaning the winning candidate must garner more than half of all the votes cast in the race. This is sometimes referred to as “50 percent plus one,” meaning the winning candidate must receive a number of votes that equals half of all the votes cast in the race plus one vote.
After Chapoy announced the unofficial results, The 830 Times asked Chapoy if there would be a runoff in the race for the At-Large, Place A, seat.
“We don’t know that for sure, not for a fact, because these are unofficial numbers and because there are still outstanding ballots that have not come back in,” Chapoy said.
Melissa Infante, Chapoy’s chief deputy for elections, said there are about 74 ballots still outstanding.
“But most of them are military, and they do not pertain to the city, so more than likely we’ll have a runoff,” she added.
According to an election calendar posted on the city’s website, the runoff election will be June 15, with an early voting period from June 3 to June 11.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
