ELECTION 2016

Only one of three races for Copperas Cove city council was decided on Tuesday.

 

Place 5 incumbent Kirby Lack received 3,193 votes, or 58.63 percent over challenger E. Marc Payne, who received 2,253 votes, or 41.37 percent.

 

“I’m delighted. You don’t realize the pressure in an election until you go through one, when you’re literally putting yourself out to the public and you’re vulnerable. It’s extremely humbling,” said Lack. “It helps you do a little soul-searching. You can’t make everybody happy, but at least about 60 percent of them are happy. It helps you to settle in, feel a little bit better about the direction you’re headed. I’m excited about it.”

 

Payne offered congratulations to Lack and thanked him for running a clean, positive campaign.

 

“I encourage citizens to heal and move forward under his direction,” Payne said. “I would like to thank my family for all of their support and all the citizens who helped, supported, believed in me, and allowed me to place signs in their yards and at their places of business, and especially everyone who took the time to vote for me, a heartfelt thank you to all.”

 

In place 3, incumbent Dan Yancey received 2,516 votes, or 46.48 percent, and needed 50 percent-plus one to win the spot. Only 37 votes separated challengers Vic Dery and Chuck Taylor, with Dery receiving 1,437, or 26.55 percent of the votes, and Taylor receiving 1,460, or 26.97 percent.

 

Taylor said after hearing the early voting results, he believed Dery would be facing Yancey in the runoff. He had no thoughts of making it into a runoff, either, and pledged his support for Dery on social media before turning in for the night.

 

“First thing in the morning, I saw Trump was President; the second thing, I looked at my phone,” Taylor said, adding he was honored to have received enough votes and will do all he can to get voters to know him better over the next few weeks. Dery, in turn, had his own statement.

 

“I first want to thank the citizens of Copperas Cove for voting and although the results are not what I was hoping,” said Dery. “I believe the citizens need to continue to push voting for accountability and transparency. That is why I am putting 100 percent of my support to Chuck Taylor. Chuck is a solid candidate that truly cares about this city.”

 

Yancey ran last year to fill an unexpired term and is now looking to secure his first full term in office.

 

“My results were good; it’s hard to win in a threeway race,” Yancey said. “But I’m looking forward to the run-off and serving Copperas Cove to the best of my ability.”

 

In the race for place 4, currently vacant, Jay Manning received 2,583 votes, or 45.78 percent, with Gary Kent receiving 1,446 votes, or 25.63 percent; and Clarence Enochs receiving 1,003 votes, or 17.78.

 

Manning didn’t receive the majority vote in that race, so will face Kent in a runoff.

 

“We’ll wait and see what happens,” Manning said. “This is all part of the process, and we’ll see it through. It’s all up to the voters.”

 

Kent is looking ahead hopefully to the runoff, like Manning.

 

“I first would like to thank all the citizens of Copperas Cove who voted for me on the first election, it is an honor to be able to be considered as a candidate that they will want to represent them on the city council,” said Kent. “Now for as the up-and-coming run off election I’m looking forward to even more citizens coming out to support me and help me become the next city councilman place 4.”

 

Although a fourth place 4 candidate, Terry McDonald, withdrew from the race on Oct. 22, he still received 610 votes, or 10.81 percent.

 

The city council will canvass the Nov. 8 election results on Nov. 22 and call for a runoff election on Dec. 13.

 

On the national front, United States House of Representatives District 25 incumbent Roger William came out ahead of Democratic candidate Kathi Thomas, with 58.39 percent of the votes compared to Thomas’ 37.69 percent.

 

In state races, for State Senate District 24 Dawn Buckingham bested Democratic candidate Virginia “Jennie Lou” Leeder in the polls, with 72.4 percent compared to Leeder’s 27.59 percent. Buckingham will occupy the seat held by Sen. Troy Fraser.