“Every vote counts,” Chris Watts, a former mayor, wrote in all-caps to his supporters in late May on his Facebook page, as he offered a breakdown of the Denton County Precinct 4 commissioner race that was decided by fewer than 40 votes.
On Saturday night, Watts won the runoff election for Denton mayor by 47 votes.
Watts defeated former District 2 council member Brian Beck, securing 50.15% of the vote, the Denton County Elections Administration reported in complete but unofficial results.
“I am humbled and honored to be chosen by the voters to be the new Mayor of Denton,” Watts said in an email to the Denton Record-Chronicle. “I look forward to working together with the community, my Council colleagues and city staff to improving the lives of our citizens. Let’s get to work.”
In a message to the Record-Chronicle, Beck thanked the thousands of voters, donors and volunteers who shared their stories with each other and said they should be proud of themselves “for what they stood up for and made happen.”
Beck wished Watts “great success for Denton’s sake.”
“While I’m obviously disappointed by the results and will wait officially for the final counts before formally conceding, it seems likely Mr. Watts has probably prevailed by a mere 47 votes out of 15429 cast,” Beck wrote. “I am proud to have had the highest progressive margin in 20 years while also running a positive and issues focused campaign. We had an amazing field and social media presence — I couldn’t be prouder of what we did, the thousands of doors we knocked and the lives we touched and who touched us in return.
Last week, Watts, who’s also a former Place 6 council member, pointed out that more people had voted during early voting than the May 2 general election.
According to Saturday’s unofficial results, a total of 15,429 votes were cast during in Saturday’s runoff, compared to 12,218 in early May.
The City Council is set to certify the runoff election results on June 23 at a special-called meeting.
Watts will step in to succeed Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, who was serving his third and final term in office.
Watts’ campaign focused on his 14 years of experience as an elected official and his 14-point plan that he says will bring more transparency to the council. His priorities include police and fire, economic development, downtown improvements, development and land use, expansion of partnerships, sustainability, mobility, affordable housing and homelessness.
Watts also proposes to halt data centers temporarily through a moratorium, which District 2 council member Nick Stevens pitched in a work session earlier this month.
Beck’s campaign focused on a people-first approach with emphasis on affordability, infrastructure, creativity and innovation. His vision as mayor included investing in what he says makes Denton Denton — the arts, music and culture — as well as wise growth, environmental stewardship and transparency and responsive government.
Both Beck and Watts reported similar campaign contributions on their latest campaign finance reports, reporting slightly more than $12,000 in contributions, although a majority of Beck’s came from in-kind contributions.
During campaigning, both Beck and Watts accused each other of misleading voters when it comes to their records as council members.
Beck faced a difficult battle as election day approached, finding himself on the defense as he responded on social media to criticisms from Watts and fact-checked Watts’ claims.
“My opponent’s attempted spin only works if you remove nearly everything that actually happened,” Beck said in a post on Facebook. “The reason these attacks keep changing is simple. My opponent does not want to talk about the issues where his record is weakest — affordability, housing policy, neighborhood protection, growth management, energy policy or the fact that many of the challenges Denton faces today emerged during the very years he helped shape city policy.”
Watts, though, offered detailed breakdowns of what he claimed Beck had gotten wrong and what he would do if elected as mayor. He also attacked Beck for his decision to votes to approve two data centers, which he stressed the voters didn’t want.
“He [Beck] failed to fully examine the potential impacts on our community before he voted for the data centers,” Watts wrote. “... Denton deserves a Mayor that will rely upon their own thorough investigation of the issues instead of just following old reports and prior council decisions.
“I will put people over politics.”
CHRISTIAN McPHATE can be reached at 940-220-4299 and cmcphate@dentonrc.com.
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