Half of the Corpus Christi City Council will be new after close races in the runoff election Tuesday, Dec. 13. When the votes were counted, Everett Roy defeated incumbent Billy Lerma to secure the District 1 seat, Sylvia Campos won the open District 2 seat, and Roland Barrera retained his District 3 seat. 
Completed unofficial returns show tight races in all three contests. 
In District 1, Roy defeated Lerma with 51.59 percent of the vote to 48.41 percent. 
Campos prevailed in District 2 with 51.44 percent to former Councilor Mark Scott’s 41.45 percent. 
Barrera hung on to his District 3 seat with 51.08 percent of the vote to challenger Eric Cantu’s 48.92 percent. 
Returns will be considered unofficial until canvassed by the City Council.
Runoff elections often draw small voter turnouts, and such was the case Dec. 13 as only 7.45 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.
Roy and Campos will join Nov. 8 winners Jim Klein (at-large) and Dan Suckley (District 4) as the newest representatives, making up half of the eight-member council. Mayor Paulette Guajardo, who was re-elected to her second term, is the ninth vote on the council.  
Besides Barrera and Guajardo, other returning incumbents are at-large representatives Mike Pusley and Michael Hunter and District 5 representative Gil Hernandez. New members and incumbents will begin their terms in January.
chuck@thepicayune.com