By DIANTÉ MARIGNY & JACQI LEYVA-HILL
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
Incumbent Mayor Michael “Mike” Carter’s reelection victory in Laguna Vista was officially upheld following a formal recount conducted May 14 at the Cameron County Historic Courthouse exhibit room in Brownsville.
The recount confirmed Carter remained ahead of challenger Darla A. Jones after election officials reviewed ballots from the May 2 municipal election. Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza said Jones gained one vote during the recount process after election workers reviewed how a ballot had been marked.
“Darla Jones gained a vote based on how the voter marked the ballot,” Garza told the PRESS via text message. “One vote.”
Jones said one of the reviewed ballots included a checkmark beside her name rather than a fully shaded oval.
“If the oval isn’t filled in, the machine won’t read it,” Jones said.
Election night results initially showed Carter leading Jones by 37 votes. Following the recount, Jones said she finished 35 votes behind Carter out of 1,345 total votes cast.
The recount marked the conclusion of one of Laguna Vista’s closest mayoral elections in recent memory and continued drawing public attention in the days following the election.
In a public statement after the recount, Jones congratulated Carter on his victory while urging city leadership to rebuild trust within the community.
“You won, but you should be aware that the voters are watching and paying attention to your actions — not words or Facebook posts — as their mayor,” Jones said. “Please lead our city with dignity, respect and trust.”
Jones also encouraged city leadership to continue working toward strengthening trust and communication with residents.
“My greatest takeaway from this entire process is the lifelong friendships I’ve been blessed with along the journey,” Jones said. “I’m amazed by the support from about half of the community.”
When asked whether she would consider another future campaign, Jones said, “Never say never. Change is needed.”
The Town of Laguna Vista formally canvassed and certified the election results during its May 12 Town Council meeting, meeting the deadlines required under Texas Election Code.
Garza said Cameron County Elections administered the election under contract, but responsibility for candidate certification and election oversight remained with the Town of Laguna Vista.
“It’s the jurisdiction that oversees it,” Garza said. “That’s their statutory responsibility with respect to receiving applications, determining, certifying the candidates, ordering the election.”
The PRESS also submitted questions to Carter regarding priorities for his new term and concerns raised by residents during the election cycle. Carter had not responded as of press time.
The recount process also followed several competitive Town Council races.
In Place 1, Marine Corps veteran Frank Galvan defeated incumbent Dr. Chris Romero. Incumbent Johvonne Howard won reelection to Place 2, securing a fourth term on the council.
“A fourth term means my community trusts me to continue serving, and that is something I will never take for granted,” Howard said.
In the Place 3 race, Norma Parker defeated Natalie Ruiz by a margin of 712 votes to 605. Ruiz initially requested a recount but later withdrew her petition.
Ruiz said she withdrew the recount request after concluding the vote margin was too large to realistically overturn.