By Andy Sevilla
As the Kyle Council canvassed its election results Tuesday night, the landscape looked largely unchanged on the dais – Kyle voters voted incumbents back in.
But with none of the mayoral candidates receiving a majority (50 percent of the vote, plus one vote) the top two vote getters – Todd Webster and Brad Pickett – will face-off in a runoff election May 31.
“With three candidates in the race, I understood there was a good chance that I could be in a runoff,” Webster said. “I continue to be humbled and honored to have received the support from so many people in Kyle.”
Though no candidate vying for outgoing Kyle Mayor Lucy Johnson’s seat garnered a majority vote in the May 10 election, Webster – a former Kyle councilman – came close to claiming the city’s highest elected office.
Webster received 505 votes (46.53 percent), while former Kyle councilman Brad Pickett garnered 369 votes (31.81 percent). Former Kyle mayor James Adkins took 286 votes (24.66 percent).
“We are both humbled and honored that the voters of Kyle have used their voice, and the message is beginning to spread,” Pickett said of himself and his family.
He said his grass-roots supporters have been energized by the election results and are excited to spread the same message his campaign has championed.
“That message being that of responsible growth and responsible spending, led by someone with strategic financial experience, integrity, and foremost – dedication to our neighbors – the citizens of Kyle,” Pickett said.
Webster said he wishes Pickett and his family well and looks forward to a spirited campaign.
“Kyle is my home. This city is where I have raised family,” Webster said. “I want to have the opportunity to serve our community in a way that will improve our city for all of us.”
“We have an opportunity to improve our infrastructure and to develop our economy in a way that will provide prosperity and property tax relief for our residents,” he said.
Kyle is poised for excellence, Webster said, and he is asking voters to support him in the runoff election because achieving the goals he has for the city will improve the quality of life for all who live in Kyle, he said.
But the mayoral candidates not only will face obstacles in getting voters to come out a second time – which historically has been a challenge – but early voting in the runoff will coincide with state party runoff elections.
Pickett is also in the midst of an investigation by the Texas Rangers regarding campaign contributions. The candidate took in a $1,500 campaign contribution from the property owners where the previous council twice voted to deny a truck stop. The complaint filed against him alleges that the funds came from a corporation, which is not allowed under Texas Ethics Commission.
The same complaint also mentions the monies his campaign took in from two out-of-state donors. Pickett accepted political contributions from the Louisiana doctor who is suing the city of Kyle and its police chief in a civil suit and his nurse, each in the amount of $2,500.
District 4 incumbent David Wilson was reelected to a third term, besting political newcomer Laurie Luttrell by 62 votes. Wilson received 299 votes (55.78 percent), compared to Luttrell’s 237 votes (44.22 percent).
District 2 incumbent Becky Selbera also was reelected, by a margin of seven votes. Selbera received 189 votes (50.94 percent), while her challenger, former councilman Jaime Sanchez, took 182 votes (49.06 percent). Sanchez filed a complaint with the city attorney to conduct a recount.
