By Katie Burrell and Moses Leos III

Two incumbent Dripping Springs City Council members retained their seats Saturday after they cruised to wins in the city’s inaugural place system election.

Taline Manassian, a Dripping Springs resident and Austin area attorney, overpowered Anthony Aristar in the race for the Place 1 seat and secured her second term in office.

Manassian captured more than 80 percent of the vote after early voting numbers were released and maintained that lead following Election Day results. According to the city of Dripping Springs website, Aristar withdrew from the race, but did so after to the deadline for removal of the ballot.

Meanwhile, incumbent William Travis Crow outlasted challenger Geoffrey Tahuahua in a contentious race for the Place 5 seat.

Crow finished with 50% of the vote and won by a slim 41 vote margin over Tahuahua, who came in second place. Candidate Steve Randall finished with 41 total votes.

Election results

All results are unofficial until canvassed by their respective governing body

Dripping Springs ISD
*Top 2 highest vote totals won trustee seats

*Marisa Grijalva
1,250 votes (29.45%)

*Joanna Day
1,225 votes (28.86%)

Rob Satterfield
1,067 votes (25.14%)

Kara Mayfield
703 votes (16.56%)

Dripping Springs  City Council Place 1

Taline Manassian
234 votes (84.78%)

Anthony Aristar
42 votes (15.22%)

Dripping Springs
City Council Place 3

Bill E. Foulds, Jr.
215 votes

Dripping Springs  City Council Place 5

William Travis Crow
148 votes (50%)

Geoffrey Tahuahua
107 votes (36.15%)

Steve Randall
41 votes (13.85%)

Lead-up to the Place 5 race was heated as Crow filed suit against Tahuahua in late April, claiming the latter candidate violated Texas Election Code by not living within city limits six months prior to a Sept. 15, 2018 candidate filing deadline.

Tahuahua refuted those claims, citing case law and TEC that defines residency to include a person acquiring a residence in a place that is not for temporary purposes and that they intend to make that a permanent home, the News-Dispatch reported. 

Dripping Springs ISD
Meanwhile, Dripping Springs ISD voters selected incumbent Marisa Grijalva and candidate Joanna Day to the board of trustees dais in a close contest.

Grijalva, a former Dripping Springs ISD educator and current DSISD trustee, led the way by capturing 1,250 total votes. Grijalva was initially appointed to the dais in August 2018 after former trustee Shelly Reeves stepped down due to an illness.

“I’m humbled by the love and support I received,” Grijalva wrote on a post on her campaign Facebook page. “I’m prepared to work hard and with an open heart and mind.”

Day, an attorney and a former educator, secured 1,225 votes, which was enough for second place.

“I am honored by your trust in me and will work every day to help guide the DSISD forward,” Day said in a statement on her Facebook page.

Candidate Rob Satterfield finished in third place with 1,067 votes, while Kara Mayfield was fourth with 703 votes.

Only 183 votes separated the top three finishers in the DSISD race.

According to Hays County election data, roughly 5,000 of the 73,329 registered voters in the county cast a ballot in the election.