By KERRIGAN HUTTON
Tiger Media Network
Results for the 2023 Hays City Commission election were revealed Tuesday night at the Ellis County Administration building. Five candidates were running to fill three spots on the commission.
Unofficial winners of the four-year position were Mason Ruder (31.32%) and Alaina Cunningham (26.74%). The two-year position went to Reese E. Barrick (19.40%). All three were incumbents.
Ruder, who earned 2,199 votes, said he was nervous but enjoyed campaigning throughout Hays.
“It’s always wonderful to go door-to-door and just talk to people around town and see what they’d really like to see the community become in the future,” he said.
Ruder is a Hays native. He graduated from Thomas More Prep-Marian in 2010 and is now the director of institutional advancement at Hays Catholic Schools.
Now that Ruder has been re-elected, he said he’s looking forward to completing the R-9 water project.
“When (Hays) bought the R-9, I was 5 years old,” he said. “Now that my own daughter is 5 years old, it would be a dream come true to see it completed. To finally have a sustainable water source would be huge. It’s key to our survival and growth.”
Barrick, who received 1,362 votes, has lived in Hays for 14 years and is the director of Sternberg Museum of Natural History. He wants to move forward with expanding housing development and infrastructure management.
Cunningham, who received 1,878 votes, has lived in Hays for 13 years and serves on the HaysMed Foundation Board and on the Hays High Academic Booster Club. Her goal as commissioner is to gain a deeper involvement in community organizations, activities and youth programs.
Kelly Ancar finished fourth with 1,083 votes, and Diana Pantle was fifth with 479.
Preliminary results showed 4,468 people cast ballots, amounting to 22.7% voter turnout. Results will not be official until canvassed by Ellis County commissioners.
To view full results of the ballot, visit https://www.ellisco.net/435/Election-Results.