LUBBOCK -
Lubbock ISD Trustees have scheduled another election to fill the the District 1 seat on the school board. In the first election Mario Ybarra tied with his challenger, Lala Chavez with 747 votes. The candidates declined to flip a coin for the seat.
"I would hate for it come down to a flip of the coin, draw straws, cut the cards, roll dice for 11 years of hard work I put into this," Ybarra said.
Chavez said it is time for change.
"He has done it for 12 years and change is good," she said. "I don't like the fact that some folks want to make this a political career. I think we need to break that cycle."
The cost to hold another special election is $75,000, and that figure depends on many variables. Ybarra stands by his stance on sending it to the voters again.
"A lot of constituents, a lot of voters all agree it is something way too important to leave to chance," he said. "I had mentioned it was going to cost some money, close to $75,000, and they said we would still rather have the opportunity to voice our opinion, to be the vote."
Chavez said another election is too expensive.
"It is too much money, because it is the taxpayers money," she said. "I tired to get this resolved so we wouldn't have to be where we are at now. But I will tell you a coin toss this isn't a football game."
LISD spokeswoman Nancy Sharp said the district allocates money in the budget for election costs. She said the district actually came out in the green from the election earlier this month, because Melissa Collier ran unopposed for re-election to her at-large position.
"If the election costs exceeds what we have budgeted than we will simply take that from a non-instructional budget line item," Sharp said. "For instance, this year our costs for fuel is lower than we had budgeted because of decrease in fuel costs."
The turnout is expected to be low, and both candidates are running out of time.
"I just have to emphasize to them what we are working for, what I am working for is something of the future for the kids, and I think once I stipulate that, that will get them motivated," Ybarra said.
"We are literally going to have to go door-to-door and go hey have you voted, and that you need to come out if you want to see change," Chavez said.
Early voting starts May 26 and will run through June 3. Four voting centers will be available during that period. Election Day is Tuesday, June 7 and it will have six vote centers.
State law requires the mandatory second election to be between 20 and 30 days after the completion of the automatic recount, which was May 16. Sharp said because of date restrictions prescribed by law, the election cannot coincide with the municipal elections on June 25.
