The City of Friendswood has elected Joe Matranga to City Council Position 5 after a closely contested race against Adam Hill. The seat was previously held by John Scott, who could not seek re-election due to term limits.
Early voting, which began on Monday, April 24th, saw Matranga secure 710 votes, while Hill trailed with 655 votes. On Election Day, May 6th, Matranga received 288 votes and Hill garnered 268 votes. In addition, Matranga received seven absentee votes and Hill received eight.
The final vote count saw Joe Matranga emerge as the winner with a total of 1,005 votes, while Adam Hill finished with 931 votes.
Both candidates campaigned vigorously in the lead-up to the election, highlighting their respective visions for the future of Friendswood. Matranga, a retired engineer and former Chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, emphasized his history of volunteer service and community engagement.
With a combined total of 1,936 votes cast in this election, voter turnout was approximately 7.5% of the roughly 25,000 eligible voters in Friendswood. It remains to be seen what impact this level of voter participation will have on future local elections and how elected officials will work to engage and address the concerns of the broader community.
Update 5/8/23:
Matranga will be sworn in at City Hall on May 17th at 6pm.
