Cedar Park Elections: Mayor, Incumbents Win; Former Councilman Returns; Land Prop Passes [UPDATED]

CEDAR PARK, TX -- Mayor Matt Powell will serve a third term heading the city, having won in a landslide Saturday night. He'll be joined on the council dais by two incumbents and a former council member who rejoins council after a six-year absence.

Additionally, voters approved a measure that allows the city to potentially sell close to 15 acres of land if needed.

Powell has served on council since 2005, and was first elected mayor in 2012. He faced a write-in candidate, Marshall Bennett, as a challenger this year. Bennett's formal application to run for mayor was rejected by the city given a discrepancy in detailing the consecutive years he had lived in Cedar Park -- a prerequisite for running.

Still, voters were allowed to write his name on the ballot as a write-in candidate. But in the end, it proved too big an obstacle, as he secured just 10.38 percent of the popular vote.

Place Two council member and current Mayor Pro Tem Corbin Van Arsdale will serve a second term. First elected in 2014, he ran unopposed.

Cobby Caputo -- who previously served on council from 1996 to 2002 and again from 2005 to 2010 -- secured the Place Four seat on council. Caputo won 60.25 percent of the vote (1,431 votes) over Kaden Norton who had 39.75 percent (944 votes) for Place Four

The race for Place Four turned nasty, when Norton categorized his last turn on council as cronyism given his role in engineering a lucrative severance package for a former city employee.

The Place Four seat was vacated by longtime council member Lowell Moore, who is leaving to run for a Board of Directors position with the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District.

Place Six Council member Kristyne Bollier, appointed in August 2015, won the seat outright. She will now serve her first full term.

Powell said he was excited to be returning for his third term, thanking voters for their support at the polls.

“I am overwhelmed by the support from our citizens," he said in a prepared statement. "It is just one of the highest honors of my life to serve the city I love so much and the opportunity to continue in this role is very special to my family and me.

"As good as things are going, the best days of Cedar Park are still in front of us and I can’t wait to get started on our next exciting adventure.”

Van Arsdale ran unopposed, naturally securing 100 percent of the vote. There were 1,708 total votes cast for him. He said he felt fortunate to be returning to the council dais.

“It’s an honor to serve the people of Cedar Park for a second term. I look forward to continuing the fine work our Council, staff and employees are doing," he said. "It’s a special team that works hard and makes serving fun, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.”

For his part, Caputo included his friends and family as those to thank for returning him to council.

“I'd like to thank my family and friends for once again supporting me and volunteering their time and effort to help me run my campaign," he said. "And of course I must thank the voters for trusting me to help govern the City that I love so much.”

Bollier, who won 62.68 percent (1,515 votes) over Maria Talamo (who secured 37.32 percent, or 902 votes), credited a largely grassroots effort for her ascension on council.

“I’m humbled by the support and vote of confidence of the citizens of Cedar Park. I look forward to serving our community and keeping us on the path of growth and prosperity," she said. "This campaign couldn’t have happened without the incredible support, sweat and volunteer hours put in by my neighbors, friends and supporters. We took grassroots to a new level and I’m so proud of how our community came together.”

In addition to the council races, voters cast ballots in a special election to determine if the city could sell a 14.3-acre tract of land if it was deemed necessary to do so in the future. Although no offer of proposed sale is pending, city officials let the voters decide whether the acreage might some day be sold or swapped.

The proposition won by a slim margin of 52.68 percent or 1,287 votes. The voter approval gives the city flexibility in determining how the tract of land is used and is legally authorized to sell, convey, transfer, swap, lease or use the property for non-park purposes, if it becomes necessary in the future.

Cedar Park spokeswoman Jennie Huerta noted all results are unofficial until canvassed at a Special-Called Meeting, the date of which is to be determined no later than May 18. The Mayor and newly elected council members will be officially sworn in at the May 26 regular city council meeting.

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From earlier:

CEDAR PARK, TX -- A pair of incumbents on city council and a former member of the dais seeking to return were ahead in early voting results, according to a published report.

The Austin American-Statesman has tallied the earliest returns in the three match-ups where the mayor's position and two council seats are up for grabs. Despite the early voting nature of these results, the incumbent mayor's commanding share so far -- 92 percent of the vote -- pretty much makes it a foregone conclusion he'll serve a third term as mayor.

Here are the results so far, as tallied by the Statesman:

Mayoral election

Matt Powell: 92 percent

Marshall Bennett: 8 percent

City Council, Place 6

Kristyne Bollier: 66 percent

Maria Talamo: 34 percent

City Council, Place 4

Cobby Caputo: 61 percent

Kaden Norton: 39 percent

Patch will monitor results as they come in, and will update this story accordingly.

Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman >>

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From May 6:

CEDAR PARK, TX -- It's been said all politics are local. The consequences in Cedar Park for Saturday's election live up to the inferred impact of cast votes with key ballot items in play.

The city's registered voters will be electing a mayor and two council members on May 7 and weighing in a proposed sale of city-owned parkland. Details on the Cedar Park election can be seen here.

Incumbent Mayor Matt Powell has a challenger this year in the form of Marshall Bennett.

Powell has served as mayor since 2012, and is currently serving in his second term as mayor. Before that, he served on the Cedar Park City Council since 2005 when he was elected to Place 1.

Bennett is an Austin Community College academic counselor, adjunct faculty and small business owner, according to his biography. He previously served in Iraq as an Army chaplain before accepting a position at Austin Community College.

But in this election, there's a bit of a catch.

According to media reports, Bennett's name won't actually appear on the ballot but voters are able to write in his name if they choose him over Powell. The reason, as city spokeswoman Jennie Huerta told Community Impact, is that his application was originally rejected due to questions related to missing information related to his continuous residence in Cedar Park.

Instead, his name will be stated at each polling site and voters can cast a vote for him by writing his name on the ballot. He filed what's called a "declaration of Write-In Candidacy" after his formal application to run for the mayor's post didn't meet the requirements.

"Without this information, his eligibility cannot be confirmed as required by law, and the application must be rejected,” Huerta told the newspaper.

In Place 2, Corbin Van Arsdale will run unopposed. He is an attorney practicing in Austin.

But in Place 4, Kaden Norton and Cobby Caputo -- both attorneys -- will be pitted against each other. The Cedar Park Place 4 race has gotten a bit heated, with Norton accusing Caputo of being too cozy with city interests.

Place 6 also is contested, with Krystyne Bollier and Maria L. Talamo both vying for the seat.

Bollier was appointed in August 2015 to the seat vacated by longtime City Council member Donald J. Tracy. Before serving on council, she was a member of the Cedar Park Bond Advisory Task Force and Tourism Board. She describes herself on her campaign website as having more than 18 years of management experience in various industries, including high-tech management consulting, state government and entrepreneurship.

Talamo is a registered nurse by profession. Like Bollier, she has extensive civic experience, including the chairmanship of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board from 2012-2014; the Arts Advisory Board from 2011-2012;

and vice president of the Community Development Corporation Board from 2002-2011.

Campaign finance reports for each of the candidates can be seen here.

In addition to electing those city representatives, voters also will have the chance of casting ballots in a special election to decide whether the city should sell a 14.4-acre tract of undeveloped parkland. While the sale would authorize the sale of the property, there is no current offer of proposed sale pending, officials note.

Yet if approved, the city would be legally authorized "...to sell, convey, transfer, swap, lease or use the property for non-park purposes" if needed in the future, officials added. For a map to see the location of this property, click here.

To consult a list of polling places, click here.

Texas voters must show a form of identification, such as a driver’s license, passport or U.S. military ID in order to vote. For exemptions, visit the Texas Department of Public Safety website by clicking here.

It's an important election in Cedar Park. So don't forget to vote!