The voters speak
By John Earp
According to information posted on the old city hall front door after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, the following were the candidates for school board with their total votes:
For Jal Board of Education, all candidates at large: Jaime Lee Earp, 138, Rene Cervantes, 138, Jenny Leigh Edwards, 103, Randy P Chavez, 103, Rebekah Dee Richard, 85, Kayla Rae Lujan, 77, David L Gaytan, 67, Larry Burns, 43, Cruz Martin Melchior San chez, 22.
However, the official count posted on the web site of the Secretary of State showed Earp with 173 votes, Cervantes with 172, Chavez with 121, Ed wards with 115, Richard with 109, Lujan with 89, Gaytan with 78, Burns with 51, and Sanchez with 43. It is possible that the Secretary of State website includes absentee ballots, thus explaining the difference.
The top three vote getters for Jal School Board were Earp, Cervantes, and Chavez. Jenny Edwards and Kayla Lujan, both of whom had served on the school board since 2015, were not reelected.
For Jal City Council, with all candidates at large, from the tally posted on the front door of the old city hall: Rebekah Dee Richard, 153, Larry Burns, 77, Frederick Charles Seifts, 177, Cloyd Donald Smith 171, Amelia N Trevino 160, Julia Watson, 97.
On the website of the Secretary of State, the official count was Richard, 191, Burns, 88, Seifts 214, Smith, 219, Trevino, 196, Watson, 122.
All incumbents running for city council, Richard, Seifts, Smith, and Trevino, were re-elected in Tuesday’s vote. No challengers garnered enough votes to take a seat on the council.
All Jal Hospital District Board members, Ellison, Aldridge, and Jamison, all of whom ran unopposed, were reelected.
Jal Hospital District Property Tax Question passed with 197 votes for and 76 against.
Jal Public Schools General Obligation Bond Question passed with 197 votes for and 46 votes against.
Municipal Judge Dennis Earl Allen, running unopposed, was elected with 217 votes.
