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Floresville election controversy persists




Audio articles on Wilson County News made possible by C Street Gift Shop in downtown Floresville!

Floresville citizens may go to the polls in November — or they may not — after the city council and mayoral elections were canceled in May. But the election situation has been going on for some time.

Dispute over moving the month for Floresville City Council elections went to court when four individuals sued the city in December 2019. However, the roots of the legal battle go back much further.

2011

•September: The Floresville City Council approves to move the city election date from May to November

2012

•Dec. 31: Deadline for cities to change election dates without amending their charters

2019

•July 17: The council repeals moving the city election from May to November •July 25: Wilson County Attorney Tom Caldwell advises council members to repeal their July 17 resolution •Aug. 8: Council members vote not to hold a Nov. 5, 2019, election Aug. 19: Deadline to file for a seat on the city council, in accordance with posting by the city prior to July 17 •Nov. 5: Texas, Wilson County, and the Floresville Independent School District conduct elections •Dec. 6: Mayor Cissy Gonzalez- Dippel and declared city council candidates Nick Nissen, David Johns, and Paul Sack sue the city and the five council members over moving the election •Dec. 9: Council members retain special counsel to defend themselves and the city against the lawsuit

2020

•Jan. 31: 81st District Judge Lynn Ellison orders the removal of three council members and to replace them with Nissen, Johns, and Sack, and orders a special election •Feb. 3: The Fourth Court of Appeals stays — or delays — Ellison’s Jan. 31 ruling, after an appeal •Aug. 5: The appeals court rules that Gonzalez-Dippel can’t be a party to the lawsuit as mayor and that the sitting council members should retain their seats, but returns the case to the district court •Aug. 17: The council votes to hold an election for places 3, 4, and 5 on Nov. 3, almost a year after the election’s original date •Nov. 3: Eduardo Ortiz Villarreal is elected to place 3 on the city council; Jade Jimenez and Gloria Cantu are re-elected to places 4 and 5, respectively •Dec. 17: Judge Ellison upholds his Jan. 31 ruling that the city violated the Texas Election Code by moving its elections from November to May; he also orders a special election for council seats 3, 4, and 5

2021

•Jan. 14: The council orders a general election for May 1, 2021, for mayor and council places 1 and 2 •Feb. 8: Ellison informs the city that it must abide by his orders •Feb. 12: A majority of council members vote to continue with a May 1 election for mayor and places 1 and 2 •March 1: The Fourth Court of Appeals rejects an appeal by the city; this means Ellison’s ruling stands •March 10: Ellison amends his order and declares that the city’s ordinance calling for a May 1 election is “void and of no effect.” He also stays his order for a special election and orders those who sued the city to pay a $10,000 bond by March 24 •April: A post on the city council’s website states, “Per court order there will not be a May 1, 2021 election for the City of Floresville” •April 29: The council tables calling for a special election for mayor and council places 1 and 2 and a general election for council places 3, 4, and 5 in November 2021.