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No May election for Floresville — election saga continues




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

“Per court order there will not be a May 1, 2021 election for the City of Floresville.”

This sentence, posted several weeks ago on the City of Floresville website, is the only notice that the city will not hold a May election.

The Floresville City Council, which at a Jan. 14 meeting ordered a regular general election for May 1, has taken no action to cancel the election, called for mayor and council members for places 1 and 2.

Judge Lynn Ellison of the 81st District Court had ordered the city last December to hold a special election for places 3, 4, and 5. This order stems from his ruling that the city council’s resolutions in 2019 changing Floresville elections from November to May violated the Texas Election Code.

In an amended order dated March 10, however, Ellison suspended his order to hold a special election, but also enjoined — forbade — the city from holding a general election in May.

The statement on the city’s website does not specify the court order, nor does it clarify whether the election referenced is a general or a special election. No official notice was published relating to the website announcement.

The Wilson County News has reached out to Floresville officials for comment.

Mayor Cissy Gonzalez- Dippel — a party to the legal suit against the city over the election and a candidate for re-election — said she was unaware of the website post until the newspaper brought it to her attention.

Other city officials have not responded.

José Garza, lead special counsel for the city in the election lawsuit, told the newspaper that, by posting the statement, the city was simply following the judge’s order.

“The court stayed its original order,” he emphasized.

Garza also defended the lack of response from city officials, saying, “You’re going to blast the city of Floresville whatever they say.”

Art Martinez De Vara, lead attorney for Gonzalez-Dippel, Nick Nissen, David Johns, and Paul Sack in their legal action against the city, said that, although Judge Ellison suspended the general election, the city council “could have called a special election.”

The matter will return to court.

The path, Martinez de Vara said, “is cleared for the Fourth Court of Appeals to hear Floresville’s main appeal and hopefully resolve the matter. However, whoever loses at the court of appeals could appeal further to the Texas Supreme Court.”

gripps@wcn-online.com