BEAUMONT, Texas — It's going to take a runoff election next month to decide who will become Beaumont's newest mayor since 2007.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Video is from earlier this evening before the polls closed at 7 p.m.)
Beaumont businessman Roy West, Jr., who received 35% of the vote with 4,758, and Beaumont Ward IV Council woman Robin Mouton, who who received 25% of the vote with 3,451, will face off in a runoff.
The Beaumont mayoral race was the race to watch Saturday night as the city voted for its first new mayor 14 years.
Just after the polls closed at 7 p.m. early-voting results were released and they showed that West, with 3,273 votes, and Mouton, with 2,327 votes, both had a healthy lead on the other three candidates.
W.L. Pate, LaShon Proctor and Biguita Hernandez-Smith were also in the ruining for mayor.
Becky Ames, who has led the city since 2007, announced in January she would not be seeking an historic eighth term in office.
"The support for another campaign in 2021 has been extremely strong," Ames said at a January news conference. "However, I have made the bittersweet decision and am announcing today that I will not seek reelection to another term as your mayor in the upcoming election."
She is the longest-serving mayor in Beaumont's history and has led the city's recovery from Harvey and Imelda.
Ames' decision not to run opened the field up to a packed field. Here's a little about each of the five candidates aiming for the position.
ROY WEST, JR.
The prominent Beaumont businessman announced his plans to run for mayor all the way back in July 2020.
West is a mortgage lender and radio host. In his campaign announcement for mayor, he laid out an aggressive plan that includes addressing drainage issues, roadways as well as racial issues across the city.
"I am running for the Mayor of Beaumont, because I am committed to being transparent while having open conversation on all issues that can and will improve and enhance the city," West said in his campaign announcement. "I strongly believe that new leadership and innovative ideas are needed."
ROBIN MOUTON
The Beaumont City councilwoman announced her plans to run for mayor in February.
Mouton, who represented Beaumont's Ward 4 in the city council, has served on the council for six years. The lifelong Beaumont resident also served two terms as the city's Mayor Pro Tem.
“Together we can build a better Beaumont with proven leadership,” Mouton said at a campaign kick-off event in February. “I am the candidate to get this job done. I am the candidate to unify our citizens."