City, school board positions up for election across county

The filing period has begun for candidates wishing to appear on the May 4 municipal and school board elections. Gonzales, Nixon, and Waelder will all have seats available for those wishing to enact change on their local taxing governments.

The City of Gonzales will host a couple of contests, headlined by the mayoral election that carries a three-year term. The spot is currently held by first-term mayor Connie Kacir, who ran unopposed in 2016. The city will also hold a city charter election, with a list of changes to the city's constitution up for ratification. Details on those potential tweaks will be made available as council has yet to finalize what charter amendments will appear on the ballot.

The filing period to declare as a candidate for mayor began yesterday, and Kacir wasted no time in announcing her intentions for re-election, having filed for the position at 8 a.m. at city hall. Anyone else wishing to challenge the incumbent have until Feb. 14 to submit their candidacy application at city hall.

The Gonzales Independent School District will also hold an election to fill two school board seats. Trustees are elected to three-year terms for single-member districts. Up for grabs is District 1 and 2 on the board. District 1 is currently held by Gloria Torres, and District 2 by Justin Schwausch. Applications are available at the GISD Administration Office and will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.

In Nixon, three places on the city council are up for contest, all at-large. Councilmembers Joseph “Joey” Bjorgaard, Justin La Fleur, and Mary Ann Fatheree are all up for re-election, if they choose. The deadline to file is Feb. 15.

And over at the Nixon-Smiley school district, places 1, 5, and 7 are up for consideration. They are currently held by Mark Mendez, Lester Warzecha, and Jimmy Newman. Potential candidates have until Feb. 15 to decide.

Down the road in Smiley, three at-large positions will appear on the ballot. Linda Warzecha, Elisa Douglas, and H. Wayne South are all coming to the end of their two-year terms on the city council. Candidates have until Feb. 15 to file.

Waelder has three at-large city council positions in play. Those seats are currently occupied by Mike Harris, Valentino “Tino” Hernandez, and Samuel “Rocky” Quintero. Likewise, Waelder ISD will have a couple of at-large positions to look at, with Avery Williams and Troy Sullivan holding the trustee positions that hold three-year terms. The district will be calling their election at their Jan. 28 meeting.

Election Day for all of these races is scheduled for Saturday, May 4.