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Cast your vote: Council election nears as candidates prepare for battle
By Marthe Stinton, mstinton@starlocalnews.com
With Election Day fast approaching, Coppell City Council candidates begin their final push for votes as voters take one last look at hot topics.
Five council places are up for grabs this year -- Places 2, 4, 6, 7 and the mayor seat -- though two places are decided as incumbents are unopposed.
Bob Mahalik will retain his Place 2 seat. Mahalik has resided in Coppell for 17 years and has served on the council since 2009. Joining Mahalik as an unopposed incumbent is Marvin Franklin.
Marsha Tunnell, previous occupant of Place 4, has decided to run for mayor leaving the seat up for grabs to the two council hopefuls. Candidates for Place 4 are Gary Roden and Davin Bernstein. Roden, 51, has lived in the city for the past 16 years, while Bernstein, 46, has lived in Coppell for the past six years.
Place 7 was occupied by Karen Hunt; however her decision to run for the mayor seat has resulted in the city holding a special election to fill her place. The special election will be held May 12 and will feature two new council hopefuls -- Greg Garcia and Aaron Duncan.
Garcia, 48, has lived in Coppell for the past 19 years. Duncan, 33, has lived in the city for the past four years.
The title of Coppell mayor will be highly contended as two former council members duke it out next weekend. Both Tunnell and Hunt have served on the council and are active members in the community making it a tough call for Coppell City Manager Clay Matthews, who said both candidates would make great mayors for the city.
Tunnell has been on the city council since 1995 and feels the time is right to run for mayor. Hunt has been on the council since 2008 and said she feels she can be a great leader for the city. Both candidates agree they are in a position to give the time needed to be a strong mayor for the city, yet will be providing differing perspectives on Coppell's top issues.
"We have different personalities, and we would approach things differently," Hunt said. "Marsha is a great person and brings a certain skill set to the table. I bring a different skill set to the table."
Both are excited residents will have the opportunity to choose who they want to lead the city, whereas in recent mayoral elections the candidate has run unopposed.
"I have seen this community grow and change a lot since I moved here and I thought it was time to step up," Tunnell said.
Coppell residents will be able to cast their vote May 12 at Coppell Town Center, 255 Parkway Blvd.
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