Smith edges Riddle in Pct. 1 primary runoff **UPDATED Aug. 17, 2012**
UPDATE – Recount planned Aug. 17 in Smith-Riddle race
By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER
Votes will be recounted on Friday, Aug. 17 in the heated battle for the Republican Party nomination for Caldwell County Commissioner Precinct 1.
According to Elections Administrator Pamela Ohlendorf, Kent Riddle, who lost the vote to Todd Smith by a r
azor thin margin on July 31, has officially requested a recount, which will be performed next week.
Under state rules, the recount itself will be overseen by Caldwell County Republican Chair Arnold Alonzo. He scheduled the recount for 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 at the Scott Annex on Blackjack Street in Lockhart, Ohlendorf said.
When the winner is finally declared, he will face Democratic Party nominee Alfredo Munoz in November’s General Election.
Watch future editions of the Post-Register for more information as the race for the Precinct One County Commissioner’s seat unfolds
**Original Story**
By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER
The dust has not yet settled in one of the ugliest political campaigns Caldwell County has seen in recent history.
In a race marred by faceless accusations and wild allegations, presumptive Republican nominee Todd Smith has emerged victorious with his party”s nomination for the hotly-contested Caldwell County Commissioner (Precinct One) slot to be vacated by seated Commissioner John Cyrier later this year.
Cyrier announced at the beginning of last winter”s Primary season that he did not intent to seek re-election, leaving four Republicans and one Democrat to jockey for his position. In the May Primaries, Smith finished second with 31.97 percent of the vote to apparent Republican favorite Kent Riddle, who led the field with 43.64 percent of the vote.
May”s results landed the two in a runoff, which over the course of weeks disintegrated from competitive to combative, leading up to the final vote on Tuesday.
Early on Tuesday, Riddle maintained his lead over Smith, pulling down 291 votes (56.95 percent) in early voting, to Smith”s 220 (43.05 percent).
By the end of the night, though, Smith”s supporters had turned the tables, eking out the victory at 409 votes (50.37 percent) over Riddle”s 403 (49.63 percent).
Reached for comment late on Tuesday evening, a somewhat rattled Riddle confirmed that he intended to seek a recount, leaving the results tentative for the time being.
The eventual winner of the race will face Democratic Party nominee Alfredo Munoz at the polls in November.
In other local runoff news, former New Braunfels mayor Bruce Boyer will take the bench in January to fill the seat of retiring Judge Charles Ramsay.
Boyer entered the race at the beginning of the year with three other candidates, and narrowed the field during the May Primaries to a runoff with Assistant Attorney General David Glickler.
In May, Boyer earned 48.94 percent of the vote against Glickler”s 23.96 percent. Because of a lack of a plurality, however, the two landed in a runoff to fill the seat; no Democratic Party candidate stepped forward for election after Ramsay announced his retirement.
Overall, by the end of the evening on Tuesday, uncanvassed results showed Boyer winning with 11,098 over Glickler”s 8,731.
Notably, however, Glickler won both Hays County (63.7 percent) and Caldwell County (53.56 percent). It was in Comal County, however, that Boyer pulled 8,120 votes to Glickler”s 3,773, sealing the election in Boyer”s favor.
