Unofficial election results in the joint City of Whitney and Whitney ISD elections were released shortly after the polls closed Saturday, May 3, and newcomers had a narrow lead over incumbents in two city races.
With the numbers so close, the final outcome of some races was not immediately clear Saturday night until any outstanding mail ballots were counted.
Zach Hamlin received 75 votes to take the lead in the mayoral race, just one vote ahead of incumbent Janice Sanders, who received 74 votes. There were 37 votes cast for Brian Burkhart.
There are two available seats on the Whitney City Council, and incumbent Jason Ince received the most votes with 115, followed by Amy Teal with 77. Incumbent Sam Pierce received 75 votes, and Debra Gregory received 48.
Incumbent Amy Hoffman received enough votes to retain her seat on the Whitney ISD Board of Trustees with 353, and Raygenna Heath received the next highest number of votes with 235 and is expected to fill the other available school board seat.
Other candidates in the school board race were Connie Terry, who received 96 votes, Susan Keen, who received 64 votes, and Larry Farmer, who received 52 votes.
The results of all races are unofficial until canvassed by the city council and school board after any outstanding mail ballots are tallied.
The finalized numbers were unavailable as of The Lakelander’s press time Sunday. See upcoming editions for more information.
The Lakelander 