Council runoff election didn’t fare well for Place 5 incumbent

WAXAHACHIE – Residents in Waxahachie went to the polls on June 5 and made their voices heard in the runoff election. The runoff election was for two seats on the Waxahachie City Council; Place 4 and Place 5.

The council election was in May, and no candidate running for the Waxahachie Place 4 and Place 5 seats received over 50-percent of the vote, creating the need for the runoff election.

Incumbents in both seats were uprooted. In Place 4, incumbent Mary Lou Shipley was out of the run-off, and Billie Wallace and Paul Christenson fought to win that seat.

Wallace, who had the majority of votes in the election, took home the win with 1,379 votes or 62.01 percent in unofficial results. Christenson ended up with 845 votes or 37.99 percent. 

In Place 5, incumbent Charles “Chuck” Beatty did keep his seat against challenger Travis Smith. Beatty had 962 votes or 42.81 percent of the vote to winner Smith’s 1,285 votes or 57.19 percent of the vote in unofficial results.

A special runoff election for U.S. Congressional District 6 will be held Tuesday, July 27. 

Early voting for that election begins July 19 to 21, 2021 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and July 22 and 23, 2021 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Early voting is at five locations including the Elections office on Jefferson Street in Waxahachie, Midlothian Conference Center in Midlothian, Palmer ISD Annex Building in Palmer, Ellis County Sub-Courthouse Foyer in Ennis and Ovilla City Hall in Ovilla.

This Runoff election is due to there being no candidate who received over 50 percent of the vote in the May 1 Special Election to fill the 6th Congressional District seat left open when Congressman Ron Wright died.

Both Republicans, Susan Wright, Congressman Wright’s wife and first-term elected Texas State Representative Jake Ellzey were the two candidates who received the most votes in the May 1 special election. Not far behind was Democrat candidate Jana Sanchez.

Now Wright and Ellzey will be on the July 27 special election runoff ballot for a final determining who will take Wright’s late husband’s seat in the 6th Congressional District, which includes the counties of Ellis, Navarro, and Tarrant.