Published: April 04, 2008 09:13 am         

No contest: council cancels May election

By Lacie Morrison
lmorrison@mineralwellsindex.com

Mineral Wells on Tuesday joined several other area municipalities that won’t hold elections next month for city council seats.

Mineral Wells City Clerk Juanita Formby informed the city council members that an election was ordered at the Feb. 5 meeting for the purposes of electing a mayor and councilmen for Ward 1 and Ward 3.

As only one candidate filed per seat, Formby noted that unopposed candidates may be declared elected. Tommy Blissette and John Ritchie both filed to retain their positions as Ward 1 councilman and Ward 3, respectively, while mayor pro-tem Mike Allen filed for the mayoral seat. Mayor Clarence Holliman opted not to file this year, relinquishing the position he’s filled since May 4, 2002.

With a vote of 6-0, an ordinance was approved that declared the unopposed candidates elected to office. Councilwoman Margaret Colton was not present at the city council meeting. The councilmen are scheduled to take their oaths of office on May 20.

According to city clerks in Gordon, Millsap and Mingus, those cities will not hold elections in May.

In Gordon, Pat Sublett was the only candidate for the mayoral seat while Lillie Petty and David Milmo will replace council members Mary Lucille Barron and Ted Young. City Clerk Barbara Epperson told the Index that the incoming council members will be sworn in at the beginning of the May 12th city council meeting.

Millsap City Council won’t see any new faces come May as none of the incumbents were challenged for their seats this year. Millsap City Clerk Roxanne Kennedy reported that Mayor Jamie French and council members Sally Uribe, Mark Barnes and Bruce Neiman will be sworn in to their new terms at the May 27th city council meeting.

Mingus’ council members will remain the same in May as Janet Cook and Kaye Wylie both filed to retain their seats. Joining them in her first full term on the city council is Mingus resident Katie Evans, who was sworn in at a February city council meeting to fill a seat vacated by Patricia Couger in January.

In Strawn, Mayor David Day and aldermen Brad Nowak and Carl Frazier didn’t draw opposition during the filing period for their seats on the Strawn City Council.

In Graford, voters will find themselves with an opportunity to go to the polls as there is a contested city council race this year. Mayor Carl Walston is the sole name on the ballot for the mayoral seat; there are three choices, however, for the two at-large city council seats. Incumbents Alice Sain and Eddie Nowak and newcomer Jon Altum are all asking the voters for their support at the polls.