Ashley Bradshaw and Yvonne Flores-Cale, the city council’s two recently elected members, will be sworn in during the council’s Nov. 17 meeting and the mayoral runoff election between incumbent Travis Mitchell and challenger Linda Tenorio will be held Dec. 8, it was decided Wednesday night.
The Dec. 8 date was chosen because it corresponds with runoffs already scheduled for that date in San Marcos.
In addition to the swearing-in ceremonies at the next council meeting, a special ceremony will be held for the two departing council members, Tracy Scheel and Alex Villalobos.
Scheel bade the council and the public a tearful farewell during last night’s council meeting.
“I want to thank all my fellow council members for being wonderful people to work with for the past three years,” she said. “It has been a joy to serve the City of Kyle and I do appreciate all of you. This is not my end of service for the City of Kyle. I will be here to do anything anybody needs.”
Scheel offered some words of advice for Flores-Cale, the person who defeated her in Tuesday’s election.
“You will be working with a great group of people,” Scheel said. “Please work with them and understand that they just as passionate about the city as you are and want what’s best for the city. Please work with them. That is the best way to make this city a better overall place to live, work and just have fun in.”
She said she hoped the city would “come together” so that it was not a case of “east versus west, not the originals versus in the implants, not downtown versus uptown.”
At-large council member Robert Rizzo, who is a resident of the district Scheel represents and who, somewhat ironically, was disqualified from running against Scheel in 2017, thanked her “for all the work and all the time commitment you gave to our district.”
Scheel never had to run for election before this year. When she first announced her candidacy in 2017, Rizzo filed to run against her. But on the day the candidates convened at Hall City for the ballot placement drawing, the city secretary pulled Rizzo aside and told him he had been disqualified because the residence listed on his voters registration at that time was not within the city limits. Scheel stood there looking somewhat stunned realizing she had become a city council member without having to seek election.
Villalobos, who did not seek re-election this year, told Scheel that the two of them are leaving the city in a better place than it was when they both joined the council three years ago.
“I am just happy I got to work with you in having a small part in what this city is today,” Villalobos said.
Mayor Mitchell told Scheel “It is hard to imagine this council without you. You have been such a strong, steady, caring, passionate, compassionate presence on this council.”
After acknowledging that “I might be out there with you,” Mitchell praised Scheel for “devoting yourself to the City of Kyle, not only for the last three years, but longer, and I anticipate in the future as well. Thank you for your service. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the City of Kyle.”
It was also announced Tuesday’s election will be canvassed next Tuesday.
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