May 9, 2019 500 AM
Manny Baeza defeated mayoral incumbent Ann Marie Nafziger in the City of Marfa elections this past Saturday, winning 56% of the vote. Also claiming victory were former councilmember Raul Lara, and incumbent councilmember Irma Salgado, filling the two seats on city council.
Baeza’s win comes with a complication for council. He has only completed one half of his two-year city council term, after being re-elected in 2018. As he becomes Mayor, the current council will have to decide whether to hold a special election to find someone to finish out the second year of Baeza’s term, or appoint someone to the spot.
According to Baeza, he plans to put the unexpired term on the city council agenda for May 30th . “Council will then decide if they want to hold a special election or appoint an individual,” he wrote.
Calling another election would create a considerable expense for the city, but would allow the public to decide who will sit on the city’s council for a year. If council decides to appoint someone, they may choose anyone who meets the regular requirements to run for office, including the second and third place vote getters from Saturday’s election.
The final count for council totaled to Irma Salgado with 347 votes, Raul Lara at 326, Yoseff Ben-Yehuda at 258, Brit Webb at 154, and disqualified candidate Lissa Castro garnering 45 votes.
All three of the newly elected officials have experience in Marfa city government, as each has previously served on city council. Baeza has served on council since 2008, Salgado since 2017, and Lara previously held a seat on council for one term.
The vote will be canvassed on May 14.. It will also be outgoing Mayor Nafziger’s final meeting. Shortly after the canvassed election is approved, Mayor-elect Baeza is planning a public swearing in with Salgado and Lara, with a date to be announced.
In the school board races, Mark Cash defeated Sammy Jimenez Jr. with 324 and 222 votes, respectively, to win Trustee Place 5. Shawn Brugette earned 407 votes running unopposed for Place 6. For place 7, Maria Teresa Villarreal Nunez gained 323 votes, coming out ahead of Jessie D. Pena’s 220.
