The McKinney mayoral race appeared headed to a runoff, as neither of the top two vote-getters broke 50% of the total vote in unofficial vote tallies.
McKinney voters will choose a new mayor and select candidates for several open city council and school board seats this year.
Here are the uncertified results with all vote centers reporting.
City of McKinney
Mayor
Former city council member Bill Cox will likely head to a runoff in the four-person race to succeed George Fuller with about 47% of early and mail-in votes. Scott Sanford was next with about 41%.
Cox, a principal at a local real estate firm, served as the at-large city council member and mayor pro tem. He said at a McKinney mayoral debate his experience and ties to McKinney will be an asset as mayor.
“I've seen it when it was a small town, and I've seen what it is now, and I understand completely what it will take to take McKinney into the future,” Cox said.
Cox is the chair of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which has helped move forward the McKinney airport expansion. The commission approved the site plan for the expansion in January after the city council passed a resolution expressing its support of the plan.
McKinney voters struck down $200 million in bond funds for expanding the city’s regional airport for commercial use in 2023. But the city is still moving forward with the project.
Bridgette Wallis, who runs the McKinney Citizen to Citizen Blog, told KERA in a previous interview the council is ignoring the will of the voters. She said that’s a pattern regarding the airport. The council approved the funding to buy the 190 acres of land for the expansion in 2018 after voters rejected a bond to fund the purchase in 2015.
“This is extra depressing, because this is two bond elections now that have failed, and they went around and still did it anyway,” Wallis said.
But Cox said at the mayoral debate the council did listen to the will of the voters by not using property tax dollars like the bond proposed.
Cox was also asked at the mayoral debate about a controversy that occurred while he was on the city council. A California developer accused Cox and another council member of inducement in 2008, alleging they told the developer it had to donate $50,000 to a veterans memorial fund in order to secure a project deal.
The lawsuit was settled. Cox said at the debate the accusations were unfounded.
“Don't let this story that's not true distract you from what's real,” he said. “There is no way that I would embarrass my family by doing the things they said I did.”
The construction of the $73 million airport expansion is scheduled to start soon, with the new terminal opening sometime next year. But Sanford said at the mayoral debate the expansion should be put on hold until voters elect a new mayor and city council members in the upcoming election.
“Since there is so much question and there's so much division, that it would be only reasonable for there to be a pause,” he said.
Sanford was elected to the Texas House from 2013 to 2023, where he served on several committees, including the public education committee and ways and means.
Sanford, the executive pastor at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, wrote the House version of the “Pastor Protection Act,” which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in 2015. The law allows pastors and other religious organizations to refuse to perform marriages that violate their beliefs and not face lawsuits, including same-sex marriages.
The former state representative said at the McKinney mayoral debate he’d help the city manage growth as mayor. McKinney is the seat of Collin County, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We’re at this exciting crossroads of history in McKinney, with great opportunity in front of us, where we can embrace the vitality of the new while retaining all of the charm of the old,” Sanford said.
City Council District 3
With all vote centers reporting, Mayor Pro Tem Geré Feltus was the likely winner with 53% of the vote against Tammy Warren.
Feltus, the CEO of a nonprofit health clinic in Lewisville, is the current mayor pro tem. She lists public safety, balancing the city’s tax base and housing availability as priorities for a second term on her campaign website.
Feltus posted her reelection campaign announcement on Facebook, where she outlined her efforts to lower property taxes and increase homestead exemptions for senior homeowners. She also pointed to her work on preserving McKinney’s historic downtown and developing workforce housing.
“As a growing and evolving city, McKinney needs experienced, knowledgeable, and principled leadership to navigate the path forward,” Feltus said in her Facebook post. “I remain committed to being a voice for our community, advocating for responsible growth, innovative solutions, and the preservation of our unique character and quality of life.”
City Council At-Large District 1
No candidate had more than 50% of early and mail-in votes in the five-person race to replace Charlie Phillips, who is term limited and ineligible to run again.
Ernest Lynch, a retired health care CEO, led with 29% of votes, followed by Jim Garrison with 20%, Brian J. Magnuson with 19%, Derrick Tarver with about 18%, and Taha Ansari with about 14%.
If those results hold when the vote is officially certified, Lynch and Garrsison would head to the runoff.
Lynch was the CEO of Medical City McKinney until he retired last year. He was also a board member of the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and McKinney Chamber of Commerce according to his campaign website.
Lynch lists economic growth, transparency, public safety and lower taxes as issues he’d prioritize on his campaign website. He said his experience on the McKinney Economic Development Corporation would be an asset to the city council.
“By prioritizing smart investments and public-private partnerships, Ernest aims to expand the tax base while reducing the financial strain on homeowners, ensuring McKinney’s long-term fiscal health and prosperity,” Lynch said on his website.
Garrison, who challenged Collin County Commissioner Darrell Hale in the 2024 Republican primary, listed his occupation as producer on his application for a place on the ballot. His Facebook page for his campaign for county commissioner lists experience as a city council member and economic development board member.
During his run for county commissioner, Garrison told Community Impact the county needs to address growth and election integrity issues.
“The Commissioners Court is aware of the issues and is deliberately "slow walking" any resolution to the problems,” he said. “Resolution needs to be a priority!”
McKinney ISD
Board of Trustees, Place 2
Kenneth Ussery won the Place 2 seat handily against Deborah Klosky, with more than 62% of the vote according to unofficial results provided by the Collin County elections administrator.
Phillip Hassler, who currently holds the seat, was appointed in February 2020 to replace Ussery after he stepped down from the board due to moving outside of the seat’s district according to Community Impact.
Board of Trustees, Place 3
Corey Homer unseated incumbent Chad Green with about 70% of the vote Saturday.
The school board trustees voted to censure Green in 2022. The resolution to censure Green came after he violated MISD board policies and Texas law against political advertising when he displayed McKinney First banners and brochures at a school event. McKinney First is a conservative political action committee according to its website.
Homer lists his occupation as real estate agent on his application for a place on the ballot. His campaign website includes an endorsement from state board of education member Pam Little. Green ran against Little in the Republican primary in 2024.
Homer worked at McKinney ISD until 2022, where he managed athletic coaches and facilities according to his campaign website. If elected, Homer said he would focus on student success.
“While I have strong convictions rooted in my work experience and my role as a parent, I am not driven by any one political agenda, but by practical common-sense solutions,” he said on his website.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
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