Mayor Pro-tem Carolyn Vaughn (left) will serve as interim mayor of Corpus Christi until mid-March. District 3 council member Lucy Rubio will take over as interim until after the special election names a new mayor.
As of Thursday, Jan. 26, seven people announced their intentions to run for Mayor of Corpus Christi in a special election that is expected to be called for May 6. A deadline to file has not yet been determined.
Until then, District 1 council member Carolyn Vaughn will act as the mayor until mid-March, when she will be replaced by District 3 member Lucy Rubio. As mayors pro-tem, they are taking on the responsibilities of the office left vacant by Dan McQueen, who recently resigned. McQueen turned in his resignation to city hall and announced it on Facebook on Jan. 18, only 37 days after his swearing-in.
The council unanimously accepted McQueen’s resignation at its meeting Jan. 24. As the list of candidates grew, both Vaughn and Rubio said they had no plans to run.
After the council’s vote to accept McQueen’s resignation, Vaughn called the move an important moment of closure for the council.
“We have a council member who decided it wasn’t worth it,” Vaughn said. “It is worth it. Now, it’s time to move ahead with what we need to do and forget this.”
Before it can be truly forgotten, however, the city will need hold a special election. The seven people who have announced they are running so far are:
• former Mayor Nelda Martinez, who was defeated by McQueen in the election Nov. 8
• Ray Madrigal, who ran unsuccessfully for an at-large position Nov. 8
• former at-large council member Chad Magill, who was defeated Nov. 8
• current at-large council member Joe McComb
• former at-large council member Mark Scott
• ethics commissioner and engineer Larry White
• Jonathan Garison,assistant principal at Tom Browne Middle School,
The election day of May 6 is mandated by the state. The council is expected to officially call the special election sometime before Feb. 21. A filing deadline will follow soon after — there’s still plenty of time for others to join the race.
The cost is expected to run between $250,000 and $300,000. With so many candidates in the race, a runoff is expected. To win the election outright, one candidate would have to receive 50 percent of the vote. A runoff would double the cost of seating a new mayor, which would not happen until mid-June, leaving only 18 months in the two-year term.
ONE LAST THING
Later in the Jan. 24 meeting, after accepting McQueen’s resignation, the former mayor’s one and only footprint on the council — its new meeting time — was changed back to the way it was.
With McQueen in the mayor’s chair, the council agreed to move its meetings from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with public comments set for 5:30 p.m.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 14, the council will once again convene at 11:30 a.m. with public comments at noon and executive sessions at the end of the meeting.
