Residents in the tiny town of New Hope voted out Mayor Jess Herbst on Saturday, crushing her dreams of holding on to the job and becoming the first openly transgender elected official in Texas.

Herbst, 59, lost to Angel Hamm, the widow of the former mayor who died suddenly before the 2016 election. Hamm, 42, is from McKinney and works there as the office manager at Bewley Electric. She ran on a platform of balancing the town's budget and "negotiating the best deals possible to ensure we are getting the best value for our money."

Angel Hamm, pictured here in 2011, was elected mayor of New Hope, Texas on Saturday, May 5, 2018. Incumbent Jess Herbst, who is transgender, lost the race. (Angel Hamm Facebook Page)

"I want to express my heartfelt thank you to the voters of New Hope for electing me as your mayor," Hamm said Saturday in a written statement. "I am honored and blessed that you have placed your trust in me. ... I will work on your behalf to help address challenges, and to secure lasting and meaningful improvements to our quality of life in New Hope."

A former alderman and road commissioner, Herbst was chosen to serve in the late mayor's stead and came out as transgender shortly after her appointment in 2016. She re-established the town's permits and zoning board and hired a code enforcement officer, and she was featured in newspapers and magazines across the world.

"I want to congratulate Angel Hamm on her win and express how proud I am of New Hope for a record voter turnout," Herbst said Saturday in a written statement. "Democracies live by voter engagement or die by voter apathy, and democracy is alive and well in New Hope today."

Hamm did not publicly bring up the mayor's transgender identity during her campaign. But the race got personal for Herbst in the weeks leading up to the election when voters received an anonymous mailer featuring her social media posts. Residents argued on websites like Nextdoor.com over the mailer and the media attention Herbst's transition brought to town.

Herbst said regardless of the division, she's glad her candidacy brought people to the polls. More than 48 percent of the town's 480 registered voters cast ballots. Now, she hopes the town continues to move forward under its new leadership.

Melissa Brown, a 42-year-old account manager working in the semiconductor industry, finished second in the race. She ran on a platform to prepare and repel the city of McKinney's attempts to annex land around New Hope, which she said could pose environmental and traffic for the town.

"I was privileged to take part in our democratic process and to meet so many new friends and neighbors," Brown said Saturday in a written statement. "I'm humbled by the support I received and am looking forward to staying involved in the community. Best wishes to Mayor Elect Angel Hamm, she can count on my support."