Filing for the May 4 municipal and school board elections ended Friday afternoon. There were some candidates who waited to the last day to file for a position on the ballot in their particular election.
The busiest person was Trisha Anderson the City Secretary for the City of Orange. In the last 48 hours for candidates to file she accepted four applications to be on the ballot.
On Friday, incumbent Annette Pernell filed to run for her single member District 4. Also filing on Friday was Alan Mesecher for the same seat on the Orange City Council. Former council member Mary McKenna filed previously for District 4.
Thursday saw incumbent Bill Mello who was recently released from the hospital file for his At Large Place 5. Former mayoral candidate Charles Thomas likewise filed Thursday for the same at large seat on the City Council. Caroline Hennigan and David Bailey filed previously for that place on the City Council.
The only uncontested race in the Orange City Council election is for single member District 2. Incumbent Brad Childs does not have an opponent.
The City of West Orange will be forced to hold its election in May after two candidates filed just days before the deadline. There are three candidates competing for two positions on the West Orange City Council. Filing this week were Brent Dearing and Patty Cook. Previously incumbent Randy Branch also filed. This will be Branch’s first election since he was appointed to the council last year to replace Carl Thibodeaux who resigned to become the city’s Municipal Judge. Incumbent Dr. Frances Droddy-Lopez chose not to run for another term.
Mayor Roy McDonald will serve another term. He did not receive a challenger in the mayoral race.
Bridge City and Pinehurst will be able to cancel their municipal elections. Only incumbents filed for the three positions on each ballot. Carl Harbert in Place 1, Tammi Fisette in Place 3, and Terri Gauthier in Place 5 will serve another term on the City Council in Bridge City. Dan Mohon, T. W. Permenter, and Sarah McClendon will return as at large members to the Pinehurst City Council.
There will be two contested races in Vidor. Mayor Kimberly Stiebig is being challenged by Ken Crawford. And in Ward 6 Ken Luce will run against Jane Hill. Incumbents Bob Turner in Ward 1 and Keith Buesing in Ward 4 filed and do not have an opponent.
Bridge City will have a contested race in the school board elections as a result of a candidate filing on the last day. Cory Mitchell filed Friday to oppose incumbent Jerry McInnis in Place 5. Incumbents Rebecca Rutledge in Place 3 and Thad Hill in Place 4 will run unopposed in the May 4 school trustees election in Bridge City.
The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School District (LC-M) will have two new school trustees, but only one contested race. Trustee Rex Peveto is stepping down to run for district judge in the county. Two candidates filed for his former Position 6 on the school board. Josh Fisher and Dr. Chris Riedel will compete for that position.
Replacing trustee Ray Rogers who will not seek another term on the LC-M school board is former justice of the peace Derry Dunn. He is running unopposed for Position 7 on the school board.
There will be an election for the West Orange-Cove School board. The are three at-large positions on the ballot. Incumbents Linda Platt-Bryant and Demetrius Hunter have filed to run. Gina Simar, Russell Holt and Kianna Edwards-Brooks have also filed. Incumbent Tony Dallas did not file for another term on the school board.
Those entities without a contested race are able to cancel their elections scheduled for May 4, 2019. Cancelling the election will save the city or the school district approximately $4,000 in expenses for not conducting it.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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