Jeff Wagner Prevails In Heated Mayoral Runoff

PASADENA, TX — The contentious mayoral race in Pasadena ended Saturday with City Councilman Jeff Wagner defeating San Jacinto Trustee John J.R. Moon in the runoff election.

Wagner, who is widely considered to be an ally of Mayor Johnny Isbell, garnered 56 percent of the votes to Moon’s 44 percent. (Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

Voters also cast ballots in the runoff election for city council District A, electing Felipe Villarreal with 52 percent of the ballots to Daniel Vela’s 48 percent.

The mayoral runoff was Pasadena’s chance to turn a page on the heated political rhetoric and racial tension that has simmered for years, and came to light with a federal lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund (MALDEF), claiming Latino voters were diluted after the city passed a redistricting plan in 2013 devised by Isbell.

Read Also: Federal Judge Rules Pasadena Redistricting Map Discriminates Against Latinos

This was the first citywide election since U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal issued her ruling and ordered the city to return to its pre-2013 city council format.

Wagner's election win hardly conjured feelings of hope and change among some, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

"Voters in Pasadena don't seem to be ready for change," University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus told the Chronicle. "It's hard to persuade voters about change in a local election."

Rosenthal’s 113 page ruling sparked a mad dash for candidates to sign up to run in the city’s May 6 election for all of Pasadena’s eight council seats, as well as a field of seven candidates for mayor, including Wagner and fellow Council member Pat Van Houte, who’d locked horns with Isbell several times in past council meetings.

The city council is scheduled to meet June 20, where they will canvass the election results and swear in new members.

Image: Shutterstock

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