Round Rock and Pflugerville city council and school board seats filled

Round Rock and Pflugerville city council and school board seats filled

By Rob Heidrick and Kelsey Wilkinson Monday, 11 May 2009

Contested seats in local elections held May 9 included one place on the Pflugerville City Council, one place on the Round Rock City Council and two seats on the Round Rock ISD school board. No run-off elections will be held in Round Rock or Pflugerville.

Pflugerville City Council

Incumbent Pflugerville City Councilman Victor Gonzales was re-elected to his Place 5 seat, taking 69 percent of the total vote, and opponent Erica Grignon earned 31 percent.

Gonzales has served on the council since 2006. He also serves as vice chair of the Downtown Planning Committee and is a board member of the Greater Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce, the Lower Colorado River Authority Travis/Austin Regional Council and the Pflugerville Education Foundation.

Gonzales said Pflugerville residents may not have felt motivated to come to the polls for this election because there were no bond issues or other contested races on the ballot. He said his constituents have shown interest in his goals of lowering tax rates and completing work on bond improvement projects.

Round Rock City Council

Architect John Moman won the Place 5 seat on Round Rock City Council, taking 60 percent of the vote over attorney Craig Morgan.

Originally from Odessa, Moman has lived with his family in Round Rock for 25 years. In 2000, he opened an architectural firm, Moman Architects. He has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the Southwest Area Downtown Planning Effort and the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, where he was chairman from 1999-2000. He currently serves on the Envision Central Texas Board, where he is a member of its executive committee.

"I'm extremely honored to represent the citizens of Round Rock and the entire community," Moman said.

Moman said he hopes to work with fellow council members to review the city's budget with a goal of cutting it by at least 4 percent.

Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Pro-Tem Joe Clifford ran unopposed for another term in the council's Place 3 seat. He has held the position since 2004.

Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees

Bobby Seiferman was elected to Place 7 on the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees and Charles "Chad" Chadwell retained his seat in Place 2, which he has held since 2008.

Seiferman, the advertising director for the Williamson County Sun, received 61 percent of votes in his race against Antonio Champion. Seiferman has a master’s degree in public administration from Southwest Texas University and an associate degree in criminal justice from Austin Community College. In his new role, he said he hopes to focus on narrowing student achievement gaps, improving graduation rates, surveying district employees and responding to input from residents.

"I hope the board will be respectful of the concerns of the community — that is what is most important," Seiferman said.

Chadwell's next term will offer him his first opportunity to work on the district's budget. He said he wants to work with Round Rock families to help them adjust to the district boundary changes approved in April. Chadwell ran against local engineer Gunnar Ristroph.