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Athens council certifies May 2 election; three councilmembers sworn in, Lawyer elected mayor pro tem
Summary
The Athens City Council unanimously approved a canvass of the May 2 general election, certified the county results, and swore in Bill Priestley, Debra D. Wilson and Tres Winn; Katha Lawyer was elected mayor pro tem by unanimous vote.
The Athens City Council unanimously approved a resolution canvassing the May 2, 2026, general election and certified the results at a special session on May 11.
Mayor Aaron Smith read a formal certification, stating, “I hereby certify the figures provided by the Henderson County Elections Administrator are correct.” City Secretary Bonnie Hambrick told the council the Provisional Ballot Board met at 9:00 a.m. that day to finalize tallies before the canvass.
Following the canvass, Hambrick administered the Oath of Office and presented Certificates of Election to Bill Priestley (Place 2), Debra D. Wilson (Place 3) and Tres Winn (Place 4). The newly sworn councilmembers took their seats, and the council entered regular session at 5:37 p.m.
Councilmember Tres Winn moved and Councilmember Bill Priestley seconded a motion to elect Councilwoman Katha Lawyer as mayor pro tem; the motion carried unanimously.
The council did not take further action on personnel matters in open session; it later recessed into executive session under Texas Government Code Section 551.074 to deliberate a personnel matter involving the fire chief and returned to open session at 6:27 p.m.
Next steps: the council will proceed with its regular meeting schedule; no additional special actions related to the canvass were announced.
