By NIIOHONTESHA WARRIOR
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
An anticipated South Padre Island Special Election was held on February 3, 2024, with unofficial results yielding Lisa Graves as the winner of the open Pl. 5 Councilmember vacancy.
With 2,442 registered voters, ballots cast totaling 545, and zero blank ballots, the voter turnout was 22.32%.
According to the Cameron County Elections Office results, Graves tallied 311 votes, accounting for 57.17% of the total votes cast between early voting and Election Day.
Graves was followed by Tally Ragsdale with a total of 177 votes, then Jennifer Stout with 33 votes, and Brad Robinson with 23 votes.
The Special Election was held due to the sudden death of Eva Jean Dalton. Graves will now serve Dalton’s unexpired term.
As previously reported in the PRESS, Graves has strong roots in the Laguna Madre area. Originally from Harlingen, as a child, Graves frequently visited the Island with family, and friends. In 2005, she moved to the Island to work real estate in her mother’s footsteps, and in 2020, she became the operations manager for Isla Tours and Captain Murphy’s. Since moving to the Island, she became fully immersed in the community.
Graves has also served as the SPI Chamber of Commerce Islanders Committee member, and on its Board of Directors, as a Women Committee member, Vice as Chairwoman of the SPI Special Events Committee, and also as a board member for the Laguna Madre Humane Society.
Graves is pro-business and pro-tourism oriented in her future plans for the Island.
She previously told the PRESS that she has dreams of a dog park on the island, and would like to see the venue tax project through, development of the second causeway, have more youth sports, partner with Camerson County on the deep-water marina, develop strong relationship with city staff, engage the community pertaining to all of the above, and exercise complete transparency and accountability in all her work.
Comments