ACC: Mahoney Comes Out on Top, for Now
By Lee Nichols, Fri., May 16, 2008
"I'm certainly honored by getting such a high plurality," said Mahoney, "but I sure wish we'd gotten another [two] percent. Now we're gearing up for June 14, and a whole new campaign."
Asked about how Keller's Republican connections played into the race, Mahoney said, "It certainly deflated some of his lift."
But after Saturday night, those connections could benefit Keller. He actually won among Williamson County voters, who accounted for only 3.5% of the total ballots. The next round, however, will feature a changed electorate: Simultaneous to the board race, voters in the Round Rock ISD voted to join the ACC taxing district, 3,195 to 1,761. Those voters, presumably more conservative than Travis County's, will now be eligible to vote in the run-off – and based on Saturday's numbers, the newbies would account for 15% of the voters.
"I think now it's a whole new race," said Keller. Asked about the new Round Rock voters, Keller, ever the data-based researcher, said: "I'm still looking at the numbers. I think it's important. It's encouraging that the annexation passed overwhelmingly. It shows that people in Round Rock have an interest in ACC."
Asked if that worried him, Mahoney said: "I welcome their participation. We'll campaign in Williamson County, as well."
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