With three City Council seats up for grabs Saturday, including the mayor’s office, 570 Bastrop voters cast a ballot during early voting, nearly matching the total number of votes cast in the city election last year.

In 2016, two council seats were decided by 604 total votes, with 350 of them coming in during the early voting period.

Council Member Willie DeLaRosa is facing off against Planning and Zoning Commissioner Connie Schroeder for the mayor’s seat.

DeLaRosa, a U.S. Postal Service worker, has served on the council for 27 years and is looking to ascend to the city’s highest elected office. He said with the hiring of a new city manager and the election of a new mayor this month, he wants to be the steady hand of leadership the city needs during the transition.

If elected, DeLaRosa could only serve on term as mayor because of term limits.

Schroeder, a retired civil engineer who served two terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission before resigning to run for mayor, said the timing was now for her to seek city office. She said after serving two terms on P&Z and with the adoption of the comprehensive plan, she’s listened and learned and is ready to take action.

DeLaRosa resigned his Place 4 seat to run for mayor but will remain in office until a successor is elected. Former city employee Nancy Wood and P&Z Commissioner Bill Ennis are vying for the unexpired term for the Place 4 seat.

Wood, who for nine years ran the city’s Main Street Program before retiring in 2015, said her extensive experience within the city, having been exposed to issues department directors face, and her wide world view have prepared her to take office and set city policy.

Ennis, who recently retired from Texas Oil and Gas Association, said he has the personality and skill set to bring consensus to the city’s governance and creativity to its visioning as it embarks on a period of growth.

Three residents – Bastrop business owner Lee Harle, transportation management worker Lyle Nelson and public signing agent Rachel Corbett — are fighting for the Place 3 seat being vacated by Council Member Kay McAnally.

Harle said he is the most qualified for the Place 3 seat because his vision for the city is a product of having been highly involved in many of the issues the council is dealing with now. For the past two years, he served as the Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Committee chair.

Nelson, a veteran, said he is running for the Place 3 seat to increase transparency and open government on council as well as to represent residents from every corner of the city. He said his more than 40 years of management experience brings an understanding of the challenges and solutions needed in developing and implementing multimillion dollar budget and projects.

Corbett, who calls herself a "regular person" who decided to run for office, said she wants to help preserve the historic nature of Bastrop in the face of its ensuing growth. She said she’s passionate, honest and hard-working and will stand up for what’s right for the city and will push for residents’ voices to be heard in city government.

School board

Bastrop school district voters will decide Saturday whether to keep incumbent Billy Moore in the Place 3 school board seat or elect Tommy Hazleton to replace him.

Moore, a freelance photographer and father of two sons who graduated from Bastrop High School, said he brings years of experience in education and a passion for learning and supporting the youths to help them be successful.

Moore has trained as a teacher, has a Secondary Teacher Certification and has spent many hours in support of Bastrop schools through PTA activities, booster clubs and volunteering in classrooms and at school activities and events.

Hazleton, whose wife is a teacher at Bluebonnet Elementary and two children attend district schools, said he’s watched his wife struggle as a new educator — working 60 hours a week, dishing out their own money for school supplies and often coming up short in support from the district – and that was one of his main motivators to enter the race. He said he wants to ensure the district retains good teachers by supporting them from the top down as well as improve community relations with the board.

School Board Member Molly McClure’s Place 4 seat is also up for election in May. She is running uncontested for a second term.

Out of 27,394 registered votes in the Bastrop school district, 819 (3 percent) cast a ballot during early voting.

Smithville

In Smithville, which could see a restructuring of its members in May with seven candidates vying for three seats, 449 city voters cast a ballot during early voting.

Journalist Kelly Holt is challenging incumbent Bennie Rooks for his Place 1 seat.

Community volunteer Ann Fulcher is challenging incumbent Rhonda Janak for Place 2.

The Place 3 seat has three contenders: Incumbent Bill Gordon, P&Z Commissioner Guy Farmer, and attorney and P&Z Commissioner Caroline McClimon.

In the Smithville school board races, where four candidates are seeking two seats, 575 (7.9 percent) out of 7,265 registered voters cast a ballot during early voting.

Incumbent Tay Campbell, a former high school coach and teacher who now works as a compliance and audit officer for banks, is being challenged by Cindy Cogdell, a retired teacher who has also served as an administrator for Texas Women’s University and a medical social worker, for the Place 1 school board seat.

Place 2 incumbent Grant Gutierrez, who is the chief information officer and controller at Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, is being challenged by Erik McCowan, an event planner and writer.

Election day is Saturday.