McGrail wins return to Keller mayor’s seat

Voters in Keller narrowly returned former Mayor Pat McGrail to the city’s top elected spot.

Around the county, far fewer people voted in the runoff races Saturday than in the May general election. Voters were only casting ballots in 10 races in specific areas of the county. In all, only 14,200 ballots were cast, compared to 88,876 in May.

In the hotly contested race, Keller residents returned McGrail as the city’s mayor. The 71-year-old retired airline executive lost his bid for mayor in 2014, but decided to run again this year. He defeated Rick Barnes, 51 percent to 49 percent, with 49 votes separating them.

McGrail commended Barnes and his supporters for a hard-fought race.

"I hope we can all come together and work for the betterment of the community," McGrail said. "I want to help us continue to move forward."

Turnout in Keller was high for a city election with 4,237 voters casting ballots, compared to the May election, when 3,585 residents voted for mayor. Just 1,722 cast votes in a runoff a year ago for Place 3 on the Keller City Council, won by Ed Speakmon over Mitch Holmes, who lost again this time for Place 6.

Barnes thanked his supporters and all those who voted.

"I was impressed with the great turnout today," Barnes said.

He said he would continue to be involved in the city and help it in any way he could.

McGrail was just six votes shy of getting elected in the May 6 general election. A recount gave McGrail 49.55 percent of the vote. Barnes didn’t run again for his Place 6 spot on the council to run against McGrail. A consultant, Barnes, 53, was elected to the council in 2014.

Outgoing mayor Mark Mathews, who survived a recall election in 2016, did not seek re-election.

In Place 6, Tag Green defeated Mitch Holmes, 53 percent to 47 percent.

Green, a 58-year-old broker, is a newcomer to Keller politics but said he wants to focus on building relationships with city staff and passing a fiscally responsible budget. 　

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "McGrail wins return to Keller mayor’s seat."