New faces elected across county

The face of several Liberty County municipalities will have a new look in the coming weeks after voters elected several new leaders. Still, several races are yet too close to call. 

No numbers have been finalized, but races in Liberty, Ames, Plum Grove, and Kenefick remain close, with several mail-in and provisional ballots remaining uncounted. Liberty County Clerk Lee Chambers said those votes were not expected to be reviewed entirely until sometime Thursday. 

The four-way race for three at large council seats in Liberty remains somewhat in the air, with John Hebert, Jr. securing the top spot, while Libby Simonson is followed by Dennis Beasley and Patti Barrow. Only six votes separate the two latter candidates. 

In Plum Grove, some theatrics saw at least two of three incumbents on the way out, while a third was deadlocked after the results came on Saturday night. All three races could see changes, but if the race between incumbent Deborah Ann Bell and Rodney Walker remains tied, there will be a runoff in June. 

Voters on the county’s north end overwhelmingly endorsed the election of Danny Lee as the new mayor of Cleveland. Lee had long served on city council before exiting last year. He will replace outgoing mayor Richard Boyett. 

Cleveland voters also decided one of two council races on this year’s ballot, as Roscoe Warwick Jr. Defeated two challengers in Position 2. In the contest for Position 1, there will be a runoff next month between Durlene Davis, who led all candidates, and Julius Buckley. 

The race to replace Caroline Wadzeck as mayor in Dayton saw Martin Mudd clobber Mike George to claim the seat as the city’s new leader.  

There will also be a significant shift in the council, with three new members winning seats.  

Tonya Smikal, who ran unopposed, will be the Position 4 councilperson, while Valerie Barton defeated Ron Peroni in the seat for Position 5.  

The third seat was a special election to fill Position 1, left vacant following the passing of Dwight Pruitt. That race saw two former councilmembers battle for the spot, with Sherial Lawson defeating Josh Townsend. 

In Ames, voters reelected a pair of council members, Eddie White and Audrey Harrison, but as of this writing, Mayor Cornelius Gilmore appears to be on the way out, with Barbara Domain holding a 68 to 62 lead. 

Below is a complete list of totals from Saturday night, with several races not officially decided until officials tabulate the remaining votes. The Vindicator will update totals and any changes once that information is available. 

City of Ames – Mayor 

• Barbara L. Domain – 68 

• Cornelius Gilmore – 62 

City of Ames, Position 3 

• Eddie White – 68 

• Rudy Cole – 62 

City of Ames, Position 5 

• Reggie Rollins Jr. – 58 

• Audrey Harrison – 72  

Cleveland ISD, Position 6 

• Deborah “Wendy” McNair – 432 

• Aaron Montesnieto – 217 

Cleveland ISD, Position 7 

• Marvin Searles – 528  

City of Cleveland Mayor 

• Danny Lee – 301 

• Robert Wolfe II – 220 

• Rodney Harrison – 28 

City of Cleveland, Position 1 (THERE WILL BE A RUNOFF) 

• Julius Buckley – 168 

• Brent McWaters – 145 

• Durlene Davis – 217 

City of Cleveland, Position 2 

• Roscoe Warwick Jr. – 316 

• Jack Wieghat – 162 

• James Franklin – 69 

Daisetta City Council, Position 2 

• Ryan Taylor – 46 

Daisetta City Council, Position 4 

• Vorice “Scotty” Baucum – 25 

• Chance Bailey – 61  

Dayton ISD, Position 3 

• Davalyn Newsome – 146 

• Thomas Payne – 497 

Dayton ISD, Position 4 

• Josh Day – 550 

City of Dayton – Mayor 

• Martin Mudd – 319 

• Mike George – 177 

Dayton City Council, Position 4 

• Tonya Smikal – 386 

Dayton City Council, Position 5 

• Ron Peroni – 214 

• Valorie Barton – 255 

Dayton City Council, Position 1 

• Sherial Lawson – 278 

• Josh Townsend – 214 

Devers ISD, Position 4 

• Donna Hebert – 53 

Devers ISD, Position 5 

• Jake Pennington – 19 

• Seth Traywick – 56 

Hardin ISD, Place 6 

• Elaine Tidwell – 190 

• Christopher McCarty – 199 

Hardin ISD, Place 7 

• Michelle Hotaling – 253 

• Amy Addison – 139  

City of Kenefick, Position 1 

• Mike Taylor – 15 

• Joel Fingleman – 17 

City of Kenefick, Position 5 

• Rory Handley – 21 

• Herbert Allen Anderson – 7 

City of Kenefick, Position 3 

• Marlee Goodman – 9 

• Marty Cole – 19  

Liberty City Council (TOP 3 VOTE GETTERS) 

• Libby Simonson – 173 

• John Hebert Jr. – 306 

• Dennis Beasley – 152 

• Patti Barrow – 146 

City of Plum Grove, Position 1 (TIE) 

• Deborah Ann Bell – 32 

• Rodney Walker – 32 

City of Plum Grove, Position 3 

• Froy Ortiz – 29 

• Danielle Enloe – 34 

City of Plum Grove, Position 5 

• Diana Chunn – 28 

• Kevin Lee – 35