Johnny Hamm had been New Hope’s mayor for 22 years, but he died last week. On Saturday, Hamm won the election in the Collin County town by 30 votes.
New Hope voters re-elected Mayor Johnny Hamm on Saturday.
According to the Collin County Elections Division, Hamm beat his opponent, John Miller, by 30 votes. Out of 138 total votes, Hamm received 84 votes. 54 people voted for Miller.
Hamm, who suffered a heart attack nearly two months ago, died last Thursday.
Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Herbst took over as "acting mayor" during Hamm's medical absence.
"We did check immediately with elections officials to see if we could either remove his name from the ballot and/or supply another candidate, but it was too late," Herbst said. "The election was closed. It could not be altered at that point."
Town council members will appoint a new mayor, Herbst said.
"What some of us believe is that the council dragged this out. What they should have done legally is assign the pro tem to become the mayor before the election, which would have taken Mayor Hamm off the ballot. I would've won the election," Miller added.
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Replacing Hamm, who served as mayor for 22 years, could take a few weeks, Herbst said.
"We have a few residents in New Hope who feel a little cheated," Miller said. "There's some people in the town who want an investigation or they would like a re-election."
Hamm's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Allen.
