Four positions will expire on Jan. 9, 2012 including mayor, council member positions 2, 4 and 6. The term for mayor will begin on Jan. 9 and end on Jan. 6, 2014. The terms for the open council seats will begin on Jan. 9 and end on Jan. 4, 2016.

Here is the list of candidates for mayor and city council. In the case of the two contested races, the candidates are listed in ballot order.

The race to replace Bellaire Mayor Cindy Siegel, who is term-limited, is between current Mayor Pro Tem Phil Nauert and Robert Riquelmy.

Position No. 4 has no incumbent. Former Bellaire City Councilmember Pat McLaughlan is matched up against Susan Downs.

Position No. 2 Councilmember Jim Avioli and Position No. 6 Councilmember Mandy Nathan are running unopposed.

Bill White answers a rotary member's question about border security on Thursday as Bellaire/Southwest Houston Rotary President Byron Holloway listens.

White talked to about 40 members of the Bellaire/Southwest Houston Rotary Club about his six years as mayor of Houston and his thoughts on the Mexican violence, funding for NASA and alternative energy. He recalled working together with the cities of Bellaire and West University Place when he was Houston’s mayor, and said he was happy to visit with local residents.

“Whether there’s 40 citizens or 500 citizens, I want people to have a chance to know who I am and to ask questions,” he said. “Letting people know who you are, not in some environment controlled by consultants and media gurus, but by citizens who get a chance to talk to you.”

White took the chance to make jabs at Gov. Rick Perry, his opponent in the November general election. A Bellaire rotarian asked the candidate whether he would still take time to visit the club if he were elected governor.

“Old so-and-so has been in office too long,” White jokingly responded. “Whenever you get some politician who is too big in his britches to come see you, that’s when the public needs to impose term limits.”

White told rotarians that after speaking with law enforcement on the border, if he were elected he would order more drones to patrol the area to gather real-time intelligence for border security personnel. He said he thinks the state should use modern technologies to better identify the masses of ordinary, innocent people crossing the border every day, versus the drug traffickers.

Bill White chats with Rotarians Craig Wooten, left, and Don Beckner before his speech to the club.

White said he doesn’t fear the violence in Mexico will spill over to the U.S. unless traffickers are targeting the relatives of their Mexican enemies.

“We have honest law enforcement on this side of the boarder,” White said. “Generally the bad guys, they don’t want to commit a crime where there’s honest and effective law enforcement.”

White told InstantNewsBellaire he remembered working with Bellaire leaders in the past on solid waste and freeway projects, and partnering with West U. officials on sidewalks and street construction on Kirby Drive. Those interactions were “cordial and businesslike,” White said, and he’d use the same skills of merging diverse viewpoints to run the state if he were governor.

“We need folks who will work in particular to cut the drop-out rates and to remove barriers to higher education so we could move our economy forward in the future,” he said. “People in West U. and Bellaire are deeply committed to access to public education. Some of the best public schools in our state are in those communities. They should be proud of that.”

With all precincts reporting unofficial results, Davis has earned 4,379 votes while her opponent, former school teacher Bonnie Parker, has won 3,648 votes.

Davis will be the Republican candidate for State Representative District 134, which covers Bellaire and surrounding areas. She will run against Cohen, a Democrat who has represented the district for two terms.

Davis has lived in West University Place for two years with her fiance Kent Adams, who now serves as her campaign treasurer. She works as a personal defense attorney at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard and Smith LLP, where she defends individuals and companies when they are sued in civil courts.

As a breast cancer survivor, Davis said previously that one of the main reasons she chose to seek the Republican nomination is because she is apprehensive that health care reform will lead to government-run options that increase costs and decrease quality.

She said she believes in the ideals of fiscal conservatism, making government smaller and cutting big spending.

Bellaire Precinct Map

Precinct 128

Democratic and Republican — Bellaire Civic Center, 7008 S. Rice Ave.

Precinct 182

Democratic and Republican — Horn Elementary School, 4535 Pine St.

Precinct 214

Democratic — Faith Lutheran Church, 4600 Bellaire Blvd.

Republican — Southwest Presbyterian Church South Annex, 6101 S. Rice Ave.

Precinct 215

Democratic and Republican — Faith Lutheran Church, 4600 Bellaire Blvd.

Precinct 268

Democratic — Bellaire Civic Center, 7008 S. Rice Ave.

Republican — ChristChurch Presbyterian, 4925 Bellaire Blvd.

Parker is running against Sarah Davis, a personal injury defense attorney, for the Republican nomination for State Representative for District 134. Whomever wins the nomination during the March 2 primary will face off with incumbent Democratic Rep. Ellen Cohen in the general election in November.

Parker’s endorsements come from Republican precinct chairs Annie Unsel Goedicke, Raul Salas, Kendall Carew and Matt Kirchner.

“Those four enthusiastically said they consider me the better candidate,” Parker said. Two precinct chairs chose to endorse her because of her stances on issues, and two said they trust Parker to be a conservative candidate because she has a history volunteering with the Republican Party, while her opponent does not, Parker said.

Over the years, Parker has volunteered for other Republican candidates’ campaigns and served as a delegate in the party.

The pro-life groups Texas Right to Life and Texas Alliance for Life also have publicly supported Parker.

“I’m the one that is committed to pro-life positions,” Parker said. “Neither Ellen nor Sarah is committed to pro-life positions.”

Finally, Conservative Republicans of Texas, a group run by Steven Hotze, has endorsed Parker. Hotze came under fire after he bankrolled an anti-gay mailer during the Houston mayoral race. But Parker said she doesn’t support his position on gay issues.

“I don’t pay attention to that type of stuff anyways,” she said. “I don’t think you can necessarily disqualify someone because they choose a lifestyle you find morally unacceptable … I don’t believe the way to deal with it is to bash homosexuals. I think the way to deal with it is to love them.”

Parker retired in 2007 after a lifelong career as a teacher in public and private schools. Because of her background, Parker has identified education reform as a top issue she wants to work on if she is elected. After retiring, Parker founded a nonprofit organization that spurs economic development in Uganda.

Because she visited her nonprofit’s headquarters in Uganda for two weeks in January and February, Parker said she thinks she missed out on endorsements that went to her opponent. Davis won support from the mayors of Bellaire and West U., former District 134 Rep. Martha Wong, United Republicans of Harris County, Texas Conservative Review and The “C” Club.

Parker said some of those individuals and organizations didn’t bother contacting her before choosing to endorse Davis.

“How they could decide she was the better candidate when they knew nothing of me kind of boggles my mind,” Parker said.

Sarah Davis

Davis, a personal injury defense attorney, is running against Bonnie Parker, a former school teacher, to earn the Republican nomination for State Representative for District 134, which covers Bellaire, West University Place and surrounding areas. Whomever wins in the March 2 primary will face off against incumbent Democratic Rep. Ellen Cohen.

Siegel said she met with Davis and learned about the candidate’s ideas about less government, less taxes and about her decision-making skills. Siegel said she thinks Davis can help the state’s attempts to balance its budget.

“I found that we share the same basic conservative values and philosophy regarding the role of government and concerns about what is happening in Washington,” Siegel said in an email. “I was impressed by her drive, commitment and energy – all of which will make her an excellent State Representative.”

Davis has lived in West U. for two years with her fiance Kent Adams, who now serves as her campaign treasurer. She works as an attorney at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard and Smith LLP, where she defends individuals and companies when they are sued in civil courts.

As a breast cancer survivor, Davis said previously that one of the main reasons she chose to seek the Republican nomination is because she is apprehensive that health care reform will lead to government-run options that increase costs and decrease quality. She said she believes in the ideals of fiscal conservatism, making government smaller and cutting big spending.

“It is a huge endorsement for me,” Davis said about Siegel’s support. “The City of Bellaire is a huge city in the district, and to have the local leadership behind me and my campaign, it again makes me very proud and it makes me feel I am heading in the right direction in the district.”

Davis has also been endorsed by West U. Mayor Bob Kelly, former District 134 Rep. Martha Wong, United Republicans of Harris County, Texas Conservative Review, and The “C” Club.

The Texas League of Conservation Voters analyzed the voting records of all Texas legislators and endorsed lawmakers who earned “A” ratings for being “pro-conservation.” Cohen won an endorsement from the nonprofit organization, along with 15 other lawmakers from the Houston area and many more statewide.

Cohen earned a 91 percent score because she voted positively on legislation concerning electronic waste exporting, green state buildings and vehicle fleets, television recycling, weatherization, solar financing and more.

“Today the TLCV endorses those State Senators and Representatives standing for re-election who demonstrated the strongest commitment at the legislature for clean air, clean water and clean energy, and for proper stewardship of Texas’ beaches, state parks and open spaces,” said the group’s Executive Director David Weinberg in a statement. “We encourage Texans to vote for these pro-conservation candidates on March 2nd.”

According to the statement, the group’s scorecard provides objective, factual information about conservation voting records, and helps hold the Texas Legislature accountable. This year’s anaysis a range of votes and issues like renewable energy, green technologies, and recycling and waste disposal.

House members were graded on 12 votes. Senate members were graded on 11 votes. Absences were counted negatively because they have the same effect as a “no” vote.  Excused absences and members not voting while serving as Chair were not counted as negative votes.

The closest locations to Bellaire are at the Fiesta Mart at 8130 Kirby Dr. and the Bayland Park Community Center at 6400 Bissonnet St. Early voting runs from Feb. 16 through Feb. 26, and locations will be open for longer hours as the deadline approaches. Check harrisvotes.org for exact times.

Click here for information on candidates who have filed for positions representing Bellaire.

Drew Parks has run since 1998 as a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Representative District 7, and he said he campaigns with the understanding that he has little chance of winning in the highly Republican district. In past elections, Parks said he has garnered up to 11 percent of the vote.

“This district is so Republican that even the Democrats know when they run someone the chances of winning … There’s no chance in hell, basically,” Parks said. “I’m a realist about this, and I use it as an opportunity to spread the word that we need to do what’s in the Constitution.”

Parks works as an electrical engineering research designer at the University of Houston, designing large super conductor motors that can be used in ships or other large vehicles. He graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in electronics technology.

He said he plans to run his campaign by speaking at candidates’ forums and responding to interview requests from the news media. He said he wants to spread traditional Libertarian messages about limiting the size of the government, lowering taxes and making government fair for everyone. Parks said he plans to talk specifically about personal privacy.

“I used this as a platform for my favorite subject, which is our loss of privacy,” Parks said. “Our privacy is being stolen by the government.”

Incumbent Rep. John Culberson, a Republican, was first elected to represent District 7 in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 and he has been reelected four times since then. Before joining the U.S. House, Culberson served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for seven terms.

Culberson was not available for comment, but his spokeswoman, Megan Mitchell, talked with him and forwarded this comment via email:

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent the Seventh District of Texas,” Culberson said in the statement. “I look forward to gaining back the Majority in the fall and restoring fiscal responsibility to the United States Congress.”

“I decided to run because I want to bring the Libertarian values to the Texas house,” Kobs said. “Right now I see the government at virtually every level as too large, too intrusive, too expensive. The Libertarian values are exactly the opposite of that.”

Two Republican candidates, Bonnie Parker and Sarah Davis, will compete in the March primary for the Republican nomination in State Representative District 134 to also run against Cohen. Read more about Parker and Davis here.

Kobs is a physician and medical director for House Call Doctors of Texas, a medical practice that visits patients in their homes.

“I like to tell people we specialize in people who either don’t have their own doctor or have difficulty getting in to see the doctor,” Kobs said.

He has practiced medicine since earning his degree in 1989 from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and his license in 1990. Before that, Kobs earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from Rice University.

Kobs ran for the same position, State Representative District 134, in 2008 but he was defeated in the primaries by another Libertarian candidate who won the nomination. But this year, Kobs is running unopposed within his own party, which secures his candidacy.

He has volunteered in the community through his church, the Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, by teaching Sunday school one year, participating in service projects helping people in a Spring Branch apartment complex, and regularly donating blood.

A low-budget campaign is in the works for Kobs. He plans to go door-to-door to meet voters and try to speak at candidates’ forums. He said he will work to promote the ideals of less government involvement in people’s lives.

“My main goal is to promote the ideas of Libertarianism, and let people know there is an alternative party out there that may represent those ideas for them as well,” Kobs said.

Current Rep. Ellen Cohen said she plans to run this year’s campaign the same as her past two successful campaigns: Listening to district residents and making sure she represents their interests.

“I don’t consider it about who my opponent is. To me that’s not what I’m doing in representing District 134,” Cohen said. “It’s not a race against an opponent, it’s a campaign to get my message out and hopefully to continue to receive the support I’ve received from this district. Democracy is about just what we’re doing, and I support it.”

Phil Kurtz

“I’d like to see our third party get a foothold and get some publicity,” Kurtz said. “My concern is just to get the word out to the voters that there is another choice. The two big parties don’t really have to run everything.”

State Senate District 17 includes West University Place and Bellaire, and portions of counties including Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston and Jefferson. No Democratic contenders filed for the office.

Kurtz recently returned to school at the University of Houston and in 2009 he earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s in business administration focusing on technical management. Previously Kurtz had earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the university.

He works as a sales development manager at Pure Force, a division of Ecolab. The global company manufactures and sells chemicals for cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection control.

Kurtz is a veteran of the campaign process. He ran in 2006 for State Senate District 17, and in 2008 he threw his hat in the ring for State Representative for District 132. Although he has yet to win an election, Kurtz has a record of community involvement that includes volunteering to coach peer soccer, working with youth and college students through his church, and organizing Catholic groups for marches supporting the pro-life movement.

The Libertarian plans to run a grassroots, low-cost campaign that includes responding to press inquiries and speaking publicly at colleges, he said. He will spread traditional Libertarian messages.

“We believe in a lot less government. People can govern themselves,” Kurtz said. “There are a lot of taxes that are just out there, that are not even under the Texas Constitution … I would like to see state government streamlined and cleaned up, basically.”

Kurtz will run against Joan Huffman, who was first elected to the Texas Legislature in 2008 after winning a special election for the vacant senate seat. Before becoming a senator, she served two terms as judge for the 183rd Criminal District Court. Huffman lives in Southside Place with her husband and son, and has a district office on Edloe Street in West University Place.

Huffman did not respond to requests for comment by press time, but InstantNewsBellaire will update this story if she responds later.

Huffman said she is relieved that no candidates from the Republican or Democratic party filed to run against her this year.

“I had a tough election last time, and I worked very hard, and have continued to work hard for the citizens and hope they continue to give me the opportunity to do so,” Huffman said. “At this point I don’t have any intent to have a full-blown media campaign. But I certainly will do anything I believe is necessary to win the election.”

That could include speaking at events, visiting constituents and being active in the community, she said.

Bonnie Parker and Sarah Davis will compete in the March primary to determine who will run against incumbent Rep. Ellen Cohen, a Democrat who has represented Bellaire in the Texas Legislature for two terms.

Both primary candidates say they wish to stop big-spending in the state government, and both have personal reasons why health care tops their list of priorities if they are chosen as the Republican candidate.

Parker, a former resident of Bellaire, said she committed to running on New Year’s Eve when she noticed that no one else had filed in District 134.

“I wanted to make sure there was a Republican candidate,” she said. “I think Ellen Cohen has committed to big government in Texas and I want to stop that.”

Parker was a school teacher in public and private schools over the life of her career, but she retired in 2007 after her husband died. She went on a missionary trip to Uganda with her sister’s church, and there she met two native Ugandans working to make a difference in the country.

“In finding them, I found my calling,” Parker said. She decided to use money from her husband’s estate to found a nonprofit organization that spurs economic development in Uganda.

Parker has served on the governing body of her long-time church, St. Mark’s Episcopal, and she also served as a board member for the church school. Although she has never sought elected office before this, Parker is familiar with the political machine, which may help as she organizes her own campaign.

“I have been a grassroots person in Republican politics, being a delegate and campaigning for other people all of my adult life,” she said. Parker added later: “Right off the top of my head I have at least a dozen people who will absolutely commit to helping me.”

She has already identified several issues that will be prominent in her campaign. Through her years of experience as a teacher, she said she wants educational reforms that ensure every student in the state, including minorities and low-income children, receive a good education.

Less government spending is also important to Parker.

“Primarily I am committed to taking Texas away from the movement towards more government involvement,” she said. Specifically, Parker said she wants the free market to play a larger role in health care than government regulations.

“I have a very selfish reason for that. I don’t believe the average person should have to pay for my health care,” she said.

With acute arthritis, the only health care Parker said she can get is from high-risk pools where the government determines how much people pay. She said the expense is carried by other Texans, and although she would prefer to pay the accurate rates, she doesn’t have the option because of government regulations.

For personal reasons, health care reform also tops the priority list of Sarah Davis, a personal injury defense lawyer who filed for the Republican nomination on Jan. 4.

Sarah Davis

“I myself am a breast cancer survivor and am really apprehensive about a government-run health care system,” Davis said. She said she received the best possible care at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and she fears the level of care she would have received under a government option.

She is also concerned about the cost of government-run health care, and high costs for other government programs.

“I just feel that what’s going on in Washington may start to occur in Austin if we don’t stop the Democrats from all the spending,” Davis said. “I felt it was time for me to do something about it, more than just grumbling at the dinner table.”

Davis, a resident of West University Place for two years, has not run for elected office before. She said she has focused on putting herself through school — She attended high school in Sugar Land, earned an economics degree from Baylor University and earned a law degree from the University of Houston.

“I’ve been working to be good lawyer to serve my community,” Davis said. At work, she defends people and companies from others who sue them in civil courts.

“Typically, the lawyers you see on TV, I’m their opposing council,” she said. “I defend all types of people from oil and gas companies to small, local businesses.”

Davis said she plans to run her campaign on the ideals of fiscal conservatism, making government smaller and cutting big spending. Serving as her campaign manager and treasurer is her fiance, Kent Adams, who has run twice for the state representative position in the Beaumont area. Davis said she plans to run a grassroots campaign.

“I want to start to get my name out and meet more people in my district,” she said. “Hopefully the weather will warm up a little bit.”

Ellen Cohen’s office has closely watched the filings for the Republican nomination, but will have little information about Parker and Davis until campaigning actually begins.

Regardless of whether Parker or Davis wins the nomination, Cohen said she plans to run this year’s campaign the same as her past two successful campaigns: Listening to district residents and making sure she represents their interests.

“I don’t consider it about who my opponent is. To me that’s not what I’m doing in representing District 134,” Cohen said. “It’s not a race against an opponent, it’s a campaign to get my message out and hopefully to continue to receive the support I’ve received from this district. Democracy is about just what we’re doing, and I support it.”

New Place 3 member on the Bellaire City Council.

Dutton said she counted early and absentee votes and added them to the total election-day ballots cast. The official tally will be posted on www.harrisvotes.org throughout the night. Parker earned 1,295 votes while his opponent Roseann Rogers garnered 510 votes. Parker will be the next Place 3 council member.

“I’m just so glad on behalf of all the people who supported me and worked so hard,” Parker said. “Being successful vindicates all the hard work they were willing to put in.”

Parker reiterated his campaign commitments to be fiscally responsible with the city’s budget and help the city to implement its new Comprehensive Plan. He also said he’d like to work on some of the issues he learned about from residents during his campaign. For example, he wants to improve communication between city leaders and residents.

“Utilizing social media and 21st century communication to hopefully be more transparent and invite more input from the citizens,” Parker said.

Andrew Friedberg defeated James Jameson to become the next Place 5 council member.

Friedberg also stressed the importance of encouraging more resident involvement in city business in the years to come. He won the Place 5 seat with 971 votes, compared to James Jameson’s 867 votes, Dutton said. The relatively close race continued the neck-and-neck trend between the pair that started with the November general election.

“I look forward to taking on a new role on council,” Friedberg said. “It was a really nice feeling to know all our efforts in campaigning lead to the results I’ve seen.”

He said the current economy will present a short-term challenge that he is committed to working through, but he also sees long-term opportunities.

“Basically I’m looking forward to addressing some of the challenges while at the same time embracing some of the opportunities,” Friedberg said. “I’m particularly excited about the Comp Plan.”

“It’s Christmas, we have bad weather, we have voter apathy,” said Precinct 128 Election Judge Randy Pollard. Stationed at City Hall, Pollard said that 275 people had voted although over 2,000 are registered in the precinct.

At the five polling places by about 5 p.m. Saturday only about 3,000 people, or 10 percent of registered voters, had shown up to cast ballots. Their votes will choose two new city council members, about one third of the entire council. The election promises to significantly change city leadership for years to come.

“It’s going to be decided by a handful of people,” said Katie O’Harra, an alternate election judge in Precinct 214 at Southwest Presbyterian Church. O’Harra’s precinct had seen only 140 voters, out of more than 1,700 people who are registered. Some of those voters were from Houston, because the polling place is shared between the two cities.

James Jameson, who is running against Andrew Friedberg for the Place 5 city council seat, said he was stationed at Precinct 214 for most of the day and noticed that voters came in “spurts.”

“People who are coming out seem to have already made up their minds,” Jameson said, waving his campaign flyers. “They don’t need any of this stuff.”

A steady stream of one-to-two voters at a time strolled into Precinct 215 at Faith Lutheran Church to cast ballots. By about 5 p.m., Election Judge Sarah Ginsburg Jaehne counted 208 ballots, again representing about 10 percent of registered voters.

“It’s better than most people expected,” said Place 3 Candidate Corbett Parker, who is running against Roseann Rogers. “I know with the majority of the candidates really took the time making sure people got out to vote.”

Parker floated around to multiple precincts during the day, but ended up at Precinct 182 at Horn Elementary School by the early evening. That precinct, the largest in Bellaire with 3,142 registered voters, had recorded about 440 ballots. Not all of them were Bellaire voters, however — The polling place was shared with Houston.

“On all off elections, it’s always disappointing,” said Election Judge J. Patrick Hughes. “That’s what I expected: It’s an unfortunate expectation.”

It was the same story at ChristChurch Presbyterian, where 239 voters from Precinct 268 cast ballots. The precinct has over 2,400 people registered to vote. Andrew Friedberg was posted outside the church greeting voters, and said the turnout was a “steady trickle.”

“We’re glad this will be over tonight,” Friedberg said. “We’re ready for the long election season to end.”

Check InstantNewsBellaire.com at 7:15 p.m. for the results from early voting. We will post official election results as soon as we receive them.

Voters will choose between Corbett Parker and Roseann Rogers for the Place 3 seat on the Bellaire City Council, and between Andrew Friedberg and James Jameson for the Place 5 position.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Precinct 128: Bellaire City Hall, 7008 S. Rice Ave.
• Precinct 182: Horn Elementary School, 4535 Pine St.
• Precinct 214: Southwest Presbyterian Church, 6101 S. Rice Ave.
• Precinct 215: Faith Lutheran Church, 4600 Bellaire Blvd.
• Precinct 268: ChristChurch Presbyterian, 4925 Bellaire Blvd.

To locate your polling place, enter your address at www.harrisvotes.org. Voters are eligible to cast ballots even if they did not vote in the November election.

InstantNewsBellaire wrote profiles of all candidates and conducted a bi-weekly Q&A series with candidates during the general election. To learn more about the four candidates competing in the runoff, visit our Election section.

We will provide readers with up-to-date results after polls close on election day. Check back.

Voters will choose between Corbett Parker and Roseann Rogers for the Place 3 seat on the Bellaire City Council, and between Andrew Friedberg and James Jameson for the Place 5 position.

The two early voting locations closest to Bellaire are the Fiesta Mart at 8130 Kirby Dr. and the Bayland Park Community Center at 6400 Bissonnet St. Visit www.harrisvotes.org for a complete list of early voting locations (PDF).

After early voting closes, residents must wait until the runoff election day, Dec. 12, to cast their ballots. Harrisvotes.org also lists election-day polling places and provides voters with sample ballots.

Voters will choose between Corbett Parker and Roseann Rogers for the Place 3 seat on the Bellaire City Council, and between Andrew Friedberg and James Jameson for the Place 5 position.

The two early voting locations closest to Bellaire are the Fiesta Mart at 8130 Kirby Dr. and the Bayland Park Community Center at 6400 Bissonnet St.

Visit www.harrisvotes.org for a complete list of early voting locations (PDF).

In a city where runoff elections rarely occur, Roseann Rogers must work hard to reach her Place 3 opponent Corbett Parker, and James Jameson must overcome a smaller disparity to reach his opponent Andrew Friedberg in the Place 5 race. All of them must fight against a small expected voter turnout for the Dec. 12 runoff.

“I have been here since ’97, we’ve never had a runoff,” said City Clerk Tracy Dutton. “So this is our first one.”

Dutton said one shock she experienced while preparing for the runoff is the cost of $20,500, which is more than double the cost of the regular election. During the Nov. 3 election, Harris County picked up half the cost, but the county won’t pay the runoff costs because it only includes Bellaire, Houston and the Houston Independent School District.

Bellaire Precinct Map

In the Place 3 race, Parker won a total of 1,374 votes in early and election-day voting in all five of Bellaire’s precincts, compared to a total of 784 votes that went to Rogers.

During early voting alone, Parker won the most votes in four precincts, and Rogers took first place in Precinct 214. However, on election day Parker raced ahead and won first place in all five precincts. Rogers came in second in all precincts, but it was a close call in Precinct 215 because opponent Richard Franke was only two votes behind Rogers.

The other two Place 3 candidates, Marie Anstead and Franke, won a total of 632 votes which will now be up for grabs in the runoff election. Rogers told InstantNewsBellaire the day after the election that she planned to take a look at the precinct data and work with her campaign team to form a strategy to win those votes.

Parker said he plans to target his message to voters in areas of town where he didn’t go before the election.

“I only got to 85 percent of Bellaire and lost 20 pounds,” Parker said on Nov. 4. “I need to get to the other 15 percent and lose five more pounds.”

The most recent campaign finance reports show that Parker continues to outpace Rogers both in campaign contributions and expenditures. Parker raised about $6,500 from Aug. 7 to Oct. 24, according to two campaign finance reports he filed with the city. During that time he spent about $6,200. Rogers’ two reports show she raised $1,220 and spent about $2,246 from Aug. 14 to Oct. 24.

The results for the Place 5 seat show that the candidates were closer than in the Place 3 race. Friedberg earned 1,330 votes while Jameson won 991. During early voting, Friedberg won the most votes in three precincts, but Jameson won first place in Precincts 128 and 182. The numbers changed on election day, with Friedberg taking first in all precincts and Jameson coming in at a solid second place.

A total of 493 votes went to the two other candidates, Tina Blum-Cohen and Johnnie Frazier. The runoff candidates must battle it out to win over those voters.

Both candidates told InstantNewsBellaire on Nov. 4 that they plan to stick with their original messages and try to reach out to as many voters as possible during the lead-up to the runoff.

Campaign finance reports show that Jameson raised more money than Friedberg, but Friedberg ended up spending more on his campaign. Friedberg raised nearly $3,000 from Aug. 11 to Oct. 24, according to two reports he filed with the city. During this time, he spent about $4,700 on his campaign. Jameson raised about $5,600 and he spent about $3,976 from Sept. 5 to Oct. 26.

Only about 15 percent of registered Bellaire voters actually voted in the city council election, totaling nearly 3,200 ballots. Officials expect fewer voters for the runoff election.

“My understanding is generally across the board it’s less,” Dutton said about the runoff turnout. “But having not had one, I just don’t know what to expect.”

Early voting for the Dec. 12 runoff election runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8. The two locations closest to Bellaire are the Fiesta Mart at 8130 Kirby Dr. and the Bayland Park Community Center at 6400 Bissonnet St. Visit www.harrisvotes.org for a complete list of early voting locations.

Note: This story was updated Nov. 16 at 6:50 p.m. to include information from City Clerk Tracy Dutton.