Mayor Douglas Athas won his race for a third term in the Saturday, May 6 election. Athas was re-elected by a decidedly large margin over opponent Leala Green with 68.83 percent of the 4,495 votes cast.
In a pre-election interview, Athas said that he would like to have the opportunity to accomplish more by remaining in office for a third term and now has two additional years to complete his to-do list.
Before becoming Garland’s mayor, Athas termed out as council member for District 1. His resume also includes service on the plan commission.
In the District 8 council race, Robert John Smith garnered 513 votes which represented 58.03 percent. Opponents James Scot Sullivan, Jack Blackshear and Terry Kaliney earned 97, 222 and 52 votes respectively.
Smith, who was born and raised in Garland, said that he returned home when it was time to settle down and raise a family.
“I came back to put down roots in the community that I love,” Smith said.
Scott Lemay, the District 7 council member ran unopposed and will serve his last two-year term.
The District 6 race was won by Robert Vera who got 260 of the votes cast, or 54.85 percent. Opponents Eric Elmore and Bao Vinh received 89 and 125 votes respectively.
Vera, who has been a Garland homeowner for more than 40 years, has served the community in numerous ways including previous service on plan commission.
“I want to be on city council because I have a dedication and passion for serving District 6 and the entire city of Garland,” he said.
The District 3 race will require a runoff between Jerry Nickerson who received 435 votes – 46.23 percent and Ed Moore who earned 281 votes – 29.86 percent.
Also in the District 3 race, Patricia Anthony received 225 votes.
One of the reasons that Moore, who moved to Garland in 2004, ran for council was because he wanted to be a voice for South Garland.
“Garland is the multicultural mecca of Texas with more than 114 different languages being spoken as reported by GISD,” Moore said. “I would take advantage of this diverse cultural mix in the development and redevelopment of attracting business opportunities to the Southern Corridor.”
A Garland resident of three years, Nickerson stated that Garland is a safe city and has a positive picture to display.
“I bring a professional, technical approach with a new set of eyes and experiences that can provide additional ideas on city development to take advantage of assets and for growing Garland in the future,” he said.