King re-elected, incumbents fall

City of Rockdale voters turned in a split decision Saturday, re-electing Mayor John King but ousting city council members Nathan Bland and Joyce Dalley.

All were by decisive margins. King out-polled Neil Switkowski by two-to-one. Challengers Belinda Hill-house and Michelle Larkin polled 62 and 61 percent, respectively, in defeating Bland and Dalley.

It was the lowest number of voters participating in a Rockdale contested mayoral election in the 42-year-old city charter era.

Milano city voters elected a new mayor as Karl Westbrook unseated Roddy Gage and it took until Monday to unravel the Milano City Council race as a provisional vote was accepted, although that did not change the initial outcome.

Thorndale elected two council members in a four-candidate field.

RE-ELECTED—King polled 263 votes (67 percent) to 128 for challenger Switkowski (33 percent).

The incumbent mayor, who will be serving his third term, won the early vote 149-69 and the Saturday balloting 114-59.

As has been the pattern in recent elections, more votes were cast in the early voting than on election day.

OUSTED—Hillhouse outpolled Bland by 173-108, a 62-to-38 percent margin.

Bland was seeking a third term.

East-ward incumbent Dalley was the longest-serving member of the council. She was seeking a fourth term.

Larkin won the race 72 to 46 (61 t0 39 percent).

King, Hillhouse and Larkin will be sworn in at the beginning of Monday’s council session, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

TURNOUT—Exactly 400 Rockdale residents cast ballots in the city races Saturday and in the early voting period.

That’s the lowest number of city voters in any election that included a contested mayor’s race since Rockdale voters passed the first city charter in 1977. The charter issued in the city’s ward system of government.

Previous low was 528 in 2013.

SCHOOL BOARD—Amy Ogea-Casas was the biggest winner on Saturday. She drew 359 votes to 110 for Jillian McEntarffer to win Place 3 on the Rockdale ISD school board.

That’s a 77-to-23 percent margin.

Ogea-Casas will replace former board president Michelle Lehmkuhl who did not seek re-election.

Two incumbent trustees, running unopposed, were also on the ballot.

Charles Miles drew 398 votes in Place 4 and Wenda Jo Dyer polled 404 in Place 5.

AMENDMENTS—Two proposed amendments to the city charter were also okayed by voters.

Proposition 1 passed 235 to 134 and Proposition 2 was approved 280 to 86.

One added language to clarify recall procedures for council members, specifying that recalls from voters in one ward can’t “cross the boundary line” and apply to members on the other ward.

The other removes words from a different section and allows a council member to be appointed to another “city offi ce.”

MILANO—Mayoral results were different in Milano where challenger Westbrook defeated Mayor Gage 50 to 40.

Gage is completing his first term. He was appointed mayor in 2016 after finishing second by five votes to incumbent Billy Barnett.

Barnett had resigned as mayor before the election but after the deadline for removing his name from the ballot. He declined the office and the city council appointed Gage.

CITY COUNCIL—Winner of the third city council position in Milano wasn’t determined until Monday.

Leading the ballot, and winning re-election were incumbents Steve Honeycutt with 62 votes and Glenda Westbrook with 57.

Election night, Bryan Woods had 48, incumbent David Gunnels Jr. with 47 and one provisional ballot outstanding. When that ballot was okayed, and added, Woods’ total went to 49, and he claimed the win.

In the Milano School Board race two incumbents and one newcomer won a five-person race for two at-large seats.

Elected were incumbents Carl Blake (123) and Lynnette Taylor (109) along with Greg Spears (106).

Incumbent Michael Andrews polled 102 and Dennis Magee drew 64.

THORNDALE—Jared Melde, with 81 votes, and incumbent Stephanie Churchman, with 80, won two seats in a four-person at-large chase for the Thorndale City Council.

Gerald Niemtschk drew 43 votes and Ashleigh Moehling (Towery) received 22.

Running unopposed, Mayor George Galbreath received 103 votes to win a new term.