Incumbent Rick Koch will once again have to defend his seat on the Kyle City Council as he heads to a runoff election with Daniela C. Parsley on Tuesday.
Because a single candidate did not secure 50% plus one vote, voters will head to the polls again, but this time with just Koch and Parsley on the ballot for District 5.
In November, Koch garnered just over 36% of the vote, with Parsley at 27.6%. Challenger Leah Kaufman had 22.9% and Donny J. Wills 13.3%.
The two candidates with the highest vote totals moved on to the runoff.
November 2021: Incumbent Rick Koch, Daniela C. Parsley heading to runoff for Kyle City Council race
Koch, who also serves as the mayor pro tem, is seeking a second term on the council. He was first elected in November 2018. He previously served as chairman of the planning and zoning commission and was a member of the citizens police academy executive board.
The SMTX Magazine publisher has lived in Hays County for more than 20 years and in Kyle for the past 13 years. His priorities include improving infrastructure to address traffic congestion and growth, safe neighborhoods and more green space.
As a council member he has been supportive of the Uber Kyle $3.14 ride-hailing program and preserving park space. He also recently helped break ground on the Heroes Memorial Park.
Parsley has lived in Kyle for more than four years. An adjuster for Progressive Insurance and a native of Venezuela, she came to the United States in 2009 and moved to Kyle in 2016 after her husband retired.
For the past several years she has served on neighborhood committees, but she said she felt it was time to take her leadership skills a step further.
Her priorities include spending in smarter ways while continuing to build and grow Kyle. She also said she is dedicated to transparency and keeping the city safe.
Kyle, an Austin suburb in northern Hays County, is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas. Its population was 28,016 in the 2010 census and was estimated to be 48,393 in 2019.
Its seven-person City Council has six council members and a mayor. Each council member is elected for a three-year term.