Hilda Montgomery Wins Round Rock City Council Special Election

ROUND ROCK, TX — Final Williamson County election results indicate Hilda Montgomery has won the special election Saturday to fill a vacant seat on the Round Rock City Council.

The final election tally shows Montgomery securing 1,868 votes, or 55.81 percent of ballots cast. Hollis Bone came in second place with 1,402 votes, for 41.89 percent. John Montgomery was a distant third, with just 77 votes (2.3 percent).

The election was staged to fill the Place 6 seat formerly held by Kris Whitfield, who resigned in October before moving to Wyoming. The city charter requires an empty council seat to be filled within 120 days of a resignation.

Elections officials said 3,352 ballots were cast, meaning that voter turnout was at 5.51 percent of the nearly 61,000 registered voters eligible to vote.

Montgomery's supporters celebrated her win, noting its significance given a local political landscape largely dominated by the Republican Party, which has faced challenges appealing to minorities. Montgomery is an African American member of the Democratic Party.

According to a bio found on her campaign website, Montgomery moved to Round Rock 19 years ago, still living in the original home she purchased upon moving to the city. She describes herself as an avid community volunteer, giving of her time to numerous local organizations and non-profits including Caritas, Round Rock Serving Center, Meals on Wheels and the Food Pantry. She has served as a Democratic Precinct Chair, and has been a long-time volunteer with the party, she wrote, helping with voter registration, festivals, parades, and other community events.

Hilda has called Round Rock home for 19 years, and still lives in the same house she originally moved into. An avid community volunteer, she has worked with numerous local groups and non-profits including Caritas, Round Rock Serving Center, Meals on Wheels and the Food Pantry. She has also served as a Democratic Precinct Chair, and has been a long-time volunteer with the party, helping with voter registration, festivals, parades, and other community events.

Montgomery touted her business background in addressing the need to manage Round Rock's brisk growth. According to her campaign literature, she has worked in the private sector for 35 years, including the last two decades at Dell.

"Round Rock is at a crossroads, and the decisions we make over the next few years will determine the future of our community," Montgomery wrote on her campaign website. "Our small and local businesses are being priced out, longtime residents are finding it challenging to continue to affordably live here, and our roadways are mired in traffic and unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians."

She played up her expertise in making her case to voters living in one of the nation's fastest-growing cities: "We must do a better job managing our growth and including everyone in the decisions we make. With 35 years of leadership roles in corporate America, including spending the last two decades at Dell, I have accumulated a wide-breadth of experience in customer service, project management, and consensus building that will make me an effective advocate at City Hall for all of Round Rock. I love our community, and I know together we can do better."

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