Votes are in, runoff to be held for place 1
By LYNETTE SOWELL
The 1,729 voters who turned out on Tuesday from the city of Copperas Cove have spoken.
After the votes are canvassed at a special city council meeting on Nov. 12, the city’s new new mayor and two new council members will be sworn in at the Nov. 17 city council workshop before taking their seats for the council meeting to follow.
Former city councilman Frank Seffrood won the spot of mayor with 1,089 votes, or 66.44 percent, besting his opponent, former councilman Gary Kent who received 550 votes, or 33.58 percent of the votes.
The three-way race between Azeita “Z” Taylor, Alonso Taylor and David Morris for city council place 1 resulted in Azeita Taylor receiving 738 or 45.58 percent of the votes, David Morris receiving 649 or 40.09 percent of the votes and Alonso Taylor rounding out the numbers with 232 votes, or 14.33 percent.
Voters will return to the polls later this month and on Dec. 8 for a runoff election. The city’s charter requires that candidates for mayor and city council receive a majority of the vote, 50 percent or more.
For city council place 2, incumbent Mark Peterson was unseated from that spot by James Pierce Jr., who received 875 votes, or 54.79 percent, compared to Peterson’s 722, or 45.21 percent of the votes. Peterson was up for his second consecutive full term in office.
Dan Yancey received 998 votes in the special election for city council place 3, with his opponent Michael Loven receiving 577 votes.
As far as the runoff election is concerned, Taylor and Morris are ready for what’s next.
“I would like to thank the hundreds of voters that came out to vote for me,” said Taylor. “I expected it be a runoff. So I was not surprised by that. I’m happy to be one of the two in the runoff. I’m going to continue to promote a unified front for our city, civic groups, businesses, as well as local government, the chamber, the EDC. We all need to be together and unified in our focus.”
Morris also weighed in on Tuesday’s outcome and the upcoming runoff and what lies ahead.
“The race isn’t over. There will be a runoff and the 14 percent who voted for Alonso will be very critical in deciding the outcome of this race,” Morris said. “The day I filed and learned there were three in the race, I anticipated a runoff then. I am excited the direction our city is headed and vow to continue to work harder each day to make it better. Congratulations to James, Dan and Frank. With some help from the citizens I look forward to working beside them in January.”
The city will call for a runoff election during special city council meeting on Thursday Nov. 12, with early voting tentatively to begin Nov. 23 through Dec. 3 and election day itself on Dec. 8.
On the state ballot, voters approved all seven propositions. Notably, proposition 1 passed, which increases property owners’ homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000.
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