by ANDY SEVILLA
With early voting underway, Bill Sinor, whom Kyle voters rejected earlier this month in a bid for the District 3 council seat, has endorsed himself in the runoff election in which he failed to secure a spot.
“I endorse myself,” Sinor said in an email response after the May 11 election. “Can people still do a write in? A little humor can go a long way!”
Receiving only 84 votes (11.90 percent), Sinor was knocked out of the running, clearing the way for a head-to-head tie-breaker battle between Chad Benninghoff and Joe Bacon for the District 3 seat on June 1.
Benninghoff led the candidates with 324 votes (45.89 percent), while Bacon received 298 votes (42.21).
“Of course I was surprised (of the election result),” Sinor said. “You always know there is a possibility of not coming out on top, but you never really think you will come out the underdog.”
“Honestly, I am a little disappointed in the voters,” he said. “For a city our size, you would expect a better turnout, especially with a big issue like the road bond having been on the ballot.”
A $36 million road bond set to reconstruct Bunton Creek, Burleson, Goforth and Lehman Roads, as well as extend Marketplace Avenue, received 560 favorable votes (69.74 percent) and 243 votes (30.26) in opposition, surpassing the votes cast in the council race by almost 100 ballots. The three candidates vying for a seat on the council received 706 votes collectively, compared to 803 voters cast in the road bond decision.
Sinor said he has mulled his poor showing in the council race and understands what went wrong.
“You know, I have been thinking this over in my head, talking with friends and I feel I came up with some good answers (on what could have been done better),” Sinor said. “But I am not going to disclose those now, may need some of them in my arsenal if I run again.”
For now, Sinor said he wishes “good luck to both” Benninghoff and Bacon, and is glad everyone ran a “clean race and I appreciate that none of our children had to read lies about their fathers.”
The dismal standing in the three-way race has not discouraged Sinor’s fire to serve the city.
“I hope I can be appointed to a committee and at least pass some of what I learned on to council,” he said. “You know, there are many ways to serve, and at this point I would love to serve Kyle on economic development.”
“Thanks to all the people that came out and voted, if you voted for me or not, you did your duty to our city,” Sinor said.
