STAFF REPORT

Homebuilder Ryan Thomason and academic adviser Lisa Marie Coppoletta will face each other in a Dec. 15 run-off election for San Marcos City Council Place 5 after late-arriving ballots failed to push Thomason over the top.

The city council schedule the election at special meeting on Monday during which they also declared John Thomaides the winner in the Place 6 race and swore him to a third term. Thomaides won 63.6 percent against Mary Kay cosmetics saleswoman Monica Garcia and retired civil servant Anita Fuller.

“It is critical that we continue to act responsibly and in ways that protect our environment while promoting the economic well being of our community and promoting those renewable businesses serving San Marcos. We face a frustrating, difficult and uncertain economy so attracting and retaining jobs in San Marcos must be our number one priority. It is imperative that we continue to focus our limited resources on attracting and expanding jobs that represent the future of our city,” Thomaides said.

Thomason was by far the front-runner in the Nov. 3 city election but failed by three votes to win the 50 percent majority he needed to win outright. He won 49.9 percent to Coppoletta’s 26.2 percent. Shaune C. Maycock won 23.9 percent.

The election ordinance before the council on Monday provided for early voting starting at Nov. 30 at the Hays County Elections Office. Thomaides questioned why early voting was not planned on the Texas State University campus as it was when Chris Jones won his first term in a December 2005 runoff. City Clerk Sherry Mashburn said it county elections administrator Joyce Cowan recommended the single location given the likelihood of low turnout.

On a motion from Thomaides, and second from Jones, the council added early voting in the LBJ Student Center.

Also at the largely organization meeting, the council elected Kim Porerfield as Mayor Pro Tem and Fred Terry as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. The mostly honorary titles denotes who presides over council meetings in the mayor’s absence.

RELATED IN THE MERCURY:

• Thomaides wins easily; Thomason headed to runoff with Coppoletta | November 3, 2009
• Election ‘09: Thomaides, Thomason lead in early votes | November 3, 2009
• Student candidate drops out of San Marcos council race | September 16, 2009
• Early voting starts in San Marcos city election | October 19, 2009
• Election ‘09: Real-time election results | November 3, 2009