Coin toss or fate? District 1 Council race heads for recount
Dec 23, 2024
It's a deadlocked race for the District 1 Council seat in Corpus Christi which has city officials preparing for a recount, with the process now officially underway.The Corpus Christi City Council canvassed the results of the recent runoff elections on Monday, confirming a rare tie in the District 1 race. Incumbent Everett Roy and challenger Billy Lerma are both tied with 1,916 votes apiece, making it one of the closest races in the citys history.This has been a long process, but were going to get this done, said Roy, who is seeking re-election for his council seat.City Secretary Rebecca Huerta announced an electronic recount is tentatively scheduled for next Monday. If the recount does not break the tie, a tie-breaker method will be used.What that means is were going to have a toss of the coin or a drawing of names out of a hatthats how tie-breakers are resolved in a runoff election, Huerta explained.With the possibility of a coin toss or random draw looming, both candidates are eager to bring the race to a close.Lerma isn't pleased about the electronic recount, he told KRIS 6 he believed it would be done by hand. Stating he would pay for one. At some point, weve got to bring this to a conclusion. Im willing to do whatever we can, said Roy.Regardless of the outcome, the new city council members will be sworn in on January 14.The closely watched District 1 race has drawn attention for its razor-thin margin, and the final result may come down to sheer chance.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.