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Special mayoral election called for Feb. 2: Lewis' vacated terms ends May 2014
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
Celina voters will name the replacement for former mayor Jim Lewis during a special election set for Feb. 2. Lewis resigned in the midst of a three-year term that ends May 2014, and the winner of the election will fill the remainder of that term.
The Celina City Council called the special election Monday after voting to accept the resignation letter Lewis tuned in Nov. 1. In the letter, he mentioned the sale of his home in Celina as the precursor to his resignation.
“I will be building a new home in Celina in the near future,” Lewis wrote, “but at this time have no exact plan in place. For this reason I feel that it is time for me to resign from my position of Mayor of the City of Celina.”
Living within Celina is a requirement for holding office under the city charter. Lewis currently lives near Lake Texoma. His resignation ended more than a decade spent holding office as a council member and as mayor.
Mayor Pro tem Todd McCally will handle all mayoral responsibilities until the election, but he will not officially be mayor. He will also retain his vote on council. The mayor only votes to break a tie between the city's six council members.
The Texas Constitution requires that the special election fall within 120 days of the mayor's resignation. Candidates who want their name placed on the ballot have until Tuesday, Nov. 27 to file with the city secretary. McCally has already said he will run. Write-in candidates have until Dec. 2 to file.
In order to win the election, a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast or 50.01 percent. If every candidate fails to receive the needed majority, a run-off election will be held between the top two vote recipients on March 23.
An example of such a run-off came during a recent Prosper City Council special election. The top vote getter during the initial election, Kelly Cooper, failed to secure a majority of votes and was later defeated by Michael Korbuly in a run-off held Oct. 20. Korbuly won the election by a three-vote margin.
Denton County will administer the special mayoral election. Voting on election day will take place between 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. at Celina City Hall. Early voting begins Jan. 16 and ends Jan. 29. Early voting hours will be held between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. with extended hours of 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on the final two days.
The Celina City Council called the special election Monday after voting to accept the resignation letter Lewis tuned in Nov. 1. In the letter, he mentioned the sale of his home in Celina as the precursor to his resignation.
“I will be building a new home in Celina in the near future,” Lewis wrote, “but at this time have no exact plan in place. For this reason I feel that it is time for me to resign from my position of Mayor of the City of Celina.”
Living within Celina is a requirement for holding office under the city charter. Lewis currently lives near Lake Texoma. His resignation ended more than a decade spent holding office as a council member and as mayor.
Mayor Pro tem Todd McCally will handle all mayoral responsibilities until the election, but he will not officially be mayor. He will also retain his vote on council. The mayor only votes to break a tie between the city's six council members.
The Texas Constitution requires that the special election fall within 120 days of the mayor's resignation. Candidates who want their name placed on the ballot have until Tuesday, Nov. 27 to file with the city secretary. McCally has already said he will run. Write-in candidates have until Dec. 2 to file.
In order to win the election, a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast or 50.01 percent. If every candidate fails to receive the needed majority, a run-off election will be held between the top two vote recipients on March 23.
An example of such a run-off came during a recent Prosper City Council special election. The top vote getter during the initial election, Kelly Cooper, failed to secure a majority of votes and was later defeated by Michael Korbuly in a run-off held Oct. 20. Korbuly won the election by a three-vote margin.
Denton County will administer the special mayoral election. Voting on election day will take place between 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. at Celina City Hall. Early voting begins Jan. 16 and ends Jan. 29. Early voting hours will be held between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. with extended hours of 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on the final two days.
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