One vote breaks the District 1 tie, putting Kris Cox in the Dec. 12 runoff against Sunny Busby

A single vote has settled who will face Sunny Busby in Denton's District 1 City Council runoff.

Kris Cox finished second in the Nov. 3 special election with 1,551 votes, or 20.75%, to Michael Herron's 1,550, or 20.74%, according to updated unofficial results the city shared on social media Tuesday and reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle. Cox and Herron had been tied at 1,548 votes apiece on election night.

Had the tie held, the City Charter would have required the two candidates to cast lots to decide who advanced. Herron wrote on Facebook that the city secretary told him Tuesday evening that Cox would move on, the Record-Chronicle reported. "Local elections are a challenge and every vote counts," Herron wrote.

Busby, a first-time candidate, led the field with 42.76%. Because no one topped 50%, the top two go to a runoff.

Runoff dates

Early voting: Nov. 30 through Dec. 8
Runoff Election Day: Saturday, Dec. 12

A short term

The winner will serve only until May. The seat opened when Vicki Byrd left the council earlier this year to seek a school board seat. Former council member Jordan Villarreal won it in May and then resigned in August.

Cox told the Record-Chronicle the one-vote margin left him "absolutely surprised." He described himself as a worker running on working-class issues, including tow companies, landlords and restoring social services, and contrasted that with Busby's background as a small business owner.

He also told the newspaper that neither runoff candidate supports data centers, Flock's camera system or the drone manufacturer KrateoSky, which received city tax incentives this year.

Busby's comments on the runoff were not included in the Record-Chronicle report.

The results remain unofficial until the city canvasses them.

Sources

Denton Record-Chronicle

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