By George Slaughter
Dan Smith (Dan Smith photo)
Katy City Council Members Dan Smith and Gina Hicks were sworn into office Wednesday at City Hall.
Smith was elected to a Ward A council seat, and Hicks was elected to a Ward B council seat. Their terms expire in May 2024.
Katy Municipal Judge Jeffrey Brashear performed the swearing-in ceremony.
Smith, a territory senior manager, defeated Diane Walker, who works as a virtual assistant. He drew 446 votes, or 72%, to Walker’s 172 votes, or 18%.
Smith succeeds Dusty Thiele, an insurance executive, who was appointed to fill a vacancy last year. Thiele did not seek a term in his own right.
Hicks, a cybersecurity professional, defeated incumbent Council Member Jenifer Jordan Stockdick. Stockdick was seeking her second term.
Hicks received 476 votes, or 62%, while Stockdick received 291 votes, or 38%.
Following the swearing-in, Mayor Bill Hastings praised Thiele and Stockdick for their service. Thiele has the distinction of serving both as a Ward A and Ward B council member at different times over the past few years.
“This isn’t your first rodeo,” Hastings told Thiele, adding that Thiele has “given me a lot of guidance, whether you know it or not.”
Thiele returned the praise, calling Hastings the epitome of a public servant.
Gina Hicks (Gina Hicks photo)
Hastings described Stockdick, who had a career in banking before establishing her own business, as the “numbers girl” of the council, asking lots of questions about city finances.
Stockdick said she was “honored and humbled” to have served on the council.
For their part, Smith and Hicks thanked their families and supporters for their support.
Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony capped an election cycle that was in many respects a return to tradition. Katy city elections are held in May, with the vote canvassing and swearing-in ceremony held soon after, at City Hall, with the event open to the public. Due to the pandemic, council meetings today are webcast, though not yet reopened to the public.
Last year, the pandemic compelled city to move its election to November. The swearing-in ceremony for Ward A Council Member Janet Corte, Ward B Council Member Rory Robertson, and Council Member-at-Large Chris Harris were held separately and followed social distancing guidelines.
Voters in May also approved a $6 million bond for buildings and parks. The bond proposal comprised two propositions, one of which was for improvements to municipal public buildings. The other was for improvements to city parks. Voters also approved updates to the Katy City Charter in a series of line-item votes.