(This story has been updated to include new information.)
Republican Doug Leecock, who made a campaign promise to serve as “the voice of the south side of the lake,” unofficially won the race for Commissioners Court Pct. 1 Tuesday, beating Democrat Julie Sanders by a vote of 22,939 (78.70%) to 6,209 (21.30%).
On Facebook today, he thanked voters “for the incredible honor of electing me as your commissioner for Pct. 1.
“I cannot wait to begin my term and serve this community with dedication and integrity,” he said. “From my family to yours, thank you for your support and vote of confidence.”
In an interview with MyCanyonLake.com, Leecock said he wants future constituents to know he represents everyone in the county, not just Republicans.
“I’m here to serve all of the people in Pct. 1 and by default, everyone in the county,” he said.
Leecock’s first item of business today was driving around Comal County, picking up dozens of campaign signs he painstakingly hammered into the ground months ago.
Precinct 1 cuts a wide swath across the middle of Comal County, from northwest New Braunfels through the south side of Canyon Lake and over to Bulverde and Spring Branch, where it borders both Kendall and Bexar counties.
Although he won’t officially be sworn in until January, Leecock said he will attend a conference in December to learn more about becoming a commissioner.
He’s also informally working with a new committee comprised of Comal County elected officials and department heads who are assessing the county’s future infrastructure and staffing needs.
Water remains a primary concern for Leecock.
“I really want to drive home the importance to be conservationists of water,” he said.
Leecock spent most of the last three years as spokesperson for the Canyon Lake Boat Ramps Community Alliance (CLBRCA), trying to nudge Commissioners Court into addressing serious concerns about the nine county-operated Canyon Lake boat ramps.
He said is stepping down but will continue to collaborate with CLBRCA and it gradually shifts its focus from construction to water-operations management and working with the community and the Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORD).
Election night results are unofficial. It takes around a week for counties to tally late-arriving mail-in ballots, ballots from U.S. military or overseas voters, and provisional ballots.
All must be counted or rejected by Nov. 19.
