Three of the four Devine City Council incumbents were re-elected to their positions in the General Election last Tuesday, November 3, and will be sworn in at the monthly Council meeting scheduled for Nov. 17.
Mayor Cory Thompson won his first election to the position, defeating challenger Angela Ortiz Pichardo 440 votes to 297.
Thompson was appointed mayor in July 2019 after Bill Herring’s resignation. Prior to that, Thompson served as the District 5 representative.
Longtime District 3 Councilman David Espinosa won another term, securing 102 votes in defeating challenger Jose Pedroza, who garnered 58 votes, and Sam Ohlhausen, who received 24.
District 5 Councilwoman Debra Randall also won her first election for that role, defeating Sandy Herrera 155 votes to 120 votes.
Randall was appointed to the District 5 seat in September 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Thompson’s appointment to mayor.
Challenger Kathy Lawler won the District 4 spot, defeating incumbent Chuck Guzman 54 votes to 50. Challenger Richard Covarrubia, Jr., received 20 votes.
Guzman was appointed to the District 4 position in April following Jennifer Schott’s resignation in January.
Because the mayor and District 5 elections were to fill unexpired terms left after vacancies, the two positions will be up for re-election again in May 2021, along with the District 2 seat currently held by Steve Lopez.
Barring further resignations, the District 3, District 4, and District 1 positions, the latter currently held by Rufino “Flipper” Vega, will not be elected again until May 2022.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer