MW Former Mayor Fails to Win Again; Incumbent Mayor Johnson Overwhelmingly Re-Elected
Current Mineral Wells Mayor Regan Johnson was in a two-person race with former Mayor Chris Perricone in the recent city elections and prevailed.
Despite a strong presence of campaign signs across the city by her opponent, Johnson received almost 70% of the vote. Johnson never let her guard down.
“Elections aren’t over until they are over. I’m grateful for the outcome to see the path we are on as a Mayor and council is what the majority of the citizens want to see and support. We are, I believe, headed in an incredibly positive direction and I have confidence in both the council and city staff to move forward. We are making progress at an exponential rate and I look forward to more tangible results the city can see in the next two years. I am ready to get back to the business of the city,” Johnson said.
Just over 1200 people voted in the local election and MWAN asked the mayor how to get more people to the polls.
“As for voter apathy….I wish I had a solution. I believe it does start with voter education of the WHY it matters. I talk to people often that just don’t care. They think it doesn’t affect them. I try to take those opportunities to converse about a subject that does matter and connect how it is related to elected officials in whatever appropriate capacity,” Johnson stated.
Her opponent, Christopher Perricone, actually held the mayoral position when he was elected in 2018 until it was discovered he was in arrears to the city for unpaid taxes, which is a violation of the city’s charter. According to city officials, Perricone didn’t attend the meeting to discuss or protest his owed taxes, so the council voted to place Pro-Tem Mayor Tammy Underwood as acting mayor. Perricone would have served until November because the election was postponed do to COVID-19. Perricone did not run for re-election and Johnson ran and was elected unopposed.
The only other contested race for the city council in 2022 was Ward 3 between incumbent Councilperson Beth Watson and her opponent David Guye. Watson prevailed with more than 70% of the vote.
“I am looking forward to continue to work with Beth Watson, and I commend David Guye for running a clean campaign. I ask the citizens to please look for opportunities to participate in the citizen driven plans for Parks and Comprehensive Plans,” Johnson said.
“I would also say thank you to everyone who has supported me, this council, and the forward momentum of this city.”
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