Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown and Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan

The May 2025 election cycle for city commission, school board and hospital board is not following typical patterns. The Breckenridge City Commission has six candidates for the two positions are up for election this year. On the other hand, at the deadline for candidate applications, the Breckenridge Independent School District had only two candidates for the three positions up for election; write-in candidates have until 5 p.m. today, Feb. 18, to announce candidacy. At Stephens Memorial Hospital, there are four candidates for the three positions up for election.

City Commission

For the City Commission, Place 3, currently held by Vince Moore, and Place 4, currently held by Rob Durham, who was appointed to the position by the City Commission in November 2024 after Gary Mercer resigned, are on the ballot this year.

For Place 3, Moore filed for re-election, and he will face three challengers: Scott Ensey, Richard “Dickey” Russell and Junior Fernandez. For Place 4, Paul Huntington and Tony Patterson have filed to run.

Election Day for the City offices will be Saturday, May 3, 2025. The City Commission positions are “at large,” meaning any qualified person in the City could run for any of the positions and registered voters may vote for any and/or all of the positions.

Commissioners serve two-year terms. Elections are staggered, with two positions up for election every other year. Last year, positions 1 and 2 were up for election.

BISD Board of Trustees

There are three positions up for election on the Breckenridge Independent School District’s Board of Trustees — Place 3, currently held by Roy Russell, and Place 4, currently held by Jimmy McKay, and Place 5, currently held by Carrol Kanady. According to Terri Collie, administrative assistant to the BISD superintendent, McKay and Kanady are running unopposed, and no one filed to run for Place 3 by the Feb. 14 deadline.

The deadline to file a declaration as a write-in candidate is 5 p.m. today, Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Applications to serve on the BISD Board of Trustees may be filed in person at the BISD central office, 208 N. Miller St. or by mail sent to BISD, Attn: Terri Collie, P.O. Box 1738, Breckenridge, TX 76424.

To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or appointed to, the office of school board member, a person must:

1. Be a United States citizen.
2. Be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable.
3. Have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
4. Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. A person is ineligible to serve as a member of the board of a district if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense under Penal Code 43.02(b) (prostitution).
5. Have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory (Breckenridge Independent School District) from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date: a. For an independent candidate, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate’s application for a place on the ballot. b. For a write-in candidate, the date of the election at which the candidate’s name is written in. c. For an appointee to an office, the date the appointment is made.
6. Be registered to vote in the territory (Breckenridge Independent School District) from which the office is elected on the date described at item 5, above.

For more information about the BISD Board of Trustees election, visit the BISD’s Board of Trustees website page, call the BISD office at 254-522-9600, or send an email to terri.collie@breckenridgeisd.org.

If one or more write-in applications are received, the school district will have an election. If no one files to run as a write-in candidate for Place 3 by today’s deadline, the school board will have to appoint someone to fill the position, according to Collie.

Stephens Memorial Hospital District

There are four candidates for the three positions that are up for election this year on the Stephens Memorial Hospital District Board.

The three incumbents — Tom Echols, Kaylee Curtis and Gregg Goodall — all filed for re-election, and John Powell also filed to run for a position on the board. All positions are at-large.

The SMH District election will be held on May 3.

VOTER REGISTRATION, EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY

For the board member elections, each entity will hold an election only if they have contested races for any of the positions up for re-election. In the case that elections need to be held, each governing board will hold Early Voting from April 22-29. Election Day will be Saturday, May 3.

The polling location/locations on Election Day will be determined by which of the three entities need to have elections.

In order to vote in any of the elections, citizens must be registered to vote by Thursday, April 3. In order to vote in a specific election, citizens must be registered in the appropriate district. For example, to vote in the City Commission election, voters must live within the city limits of Breckenridge. To vote in the school board election, voters must live within the Breckenridge Independent School District. To vote in the hospital board election, voters must live within the Stephens Memorial Hospital District.