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Temple certifies May 3 election; Jessica Walker, Mike Pilkington sworn in
Summary
At a May 13 special call meeting the Temple City Council formally canvassed the May 3 general election, certifying Jessica Walker as council member for District 1 and declaring Mike Pilkington elected to District 4; both took the oath of office.
The Temple City Council on May 13 adopted a resolution canvassing the returns of the May 3, 2025, general election, certifying Jessica Walker as council member for District 1 and declaring Mike Pilkington elected to council member District 4; both were sworn into office at the meeting.
The certification followed a presentation from City staff member Miss Lamellen, who reported that "the returns for the May election for District 1 confirmed that 453 registered voters cast legal and valid votes, and the results are as follows. District 1 Jessica Walker received 355 votes." Miss Lamellen then stated, "As the official canvassing authority for the May for the city of Temple, I here certify that Jessica Walker is hereby declared elected as council member for District 1 and Mike Pilkington for council member district 4."
Why this matters: the canvass completes the formal steps to seat two council members after the May 3 election and restores full representation for the affected districts.
Council moved the item with a motion from Council member Grant and a second from Council member Cookington; the vote on the canvass resolution was 4-0 in favor. After certification, a judge administered the oath of office to both council members. The judge remarked about Pilkington: "With mister Pilkington, what I wanna say about Mike Pilkington is that over the years, I have really come to know him as a very fair and kind and just person." The judge also addressed Walker before administering the oath.
Jessica Walker, after being sworn in, thanked District 1 voters and urged turnout: "We have over, I think, 10,000 registered voters in District 1, and so few people actually came out and, did their duty. And it truly means every vote does count, and, we saw that most definitely at this election." Mike Pilkington said he was "very honored" to return to the council and noted that having no opposition made the process easier for him.
The council continued its meeting after the swearing-in; later in the session it moved to executive session for other business.
