UVALDE, Texas — All eyes were on Uvalde as voters elected a new mayor on Tuesday.
This summer, Mayor Don McLaughlin announced he was stepping down to pursue a seat in the Texas house. McLaughlin held the position for nearly a decade, leading the community through the state’s deadliest school shooting in 2022.
In a special election, Cody Smith won back the job with more than 65% of the votes. The banker and former city council member will now serve a third term as mayor. Smith previously held the position from 2008 to 2012.
“I am very honored to be elected mayor again,” Smith said.
Smith went up against Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary School massacre.
Mata-Rubio has become a fierce advocate for stricter gun laws. She’s also fighting for transparency on the investigation into the shooting.
“I have been asking for change,” said Mata-Rubio. “I want to be part of the change I am seeking. Everything I do is for Lexi. In Uvalde, there is a fracture, there’s a lot of pain still. I want us to heal together in a way that honors the 21 victims. After that, we can address all the other issues from things like streets and sidewalks to the economy.”
Also in the race for Uvalde mayor was Veronica Martinez, an elementary school teacher. She pulled the smallest percentage of votes.
After the results were finalized, Mata-Rubio conceded and congratulated Smith.
“Nothing changes,” Mata-Rubio told reporters. “Whether I am mayor or not – now I am not - I am still Lexi’s mom. As Lexi’s mom, I am going to be calling for accountability, calling for transparency.”
Smith said he plans to work with Mata-Rubio and other families impacted by the massacre.
“I respect Kim and Veronica so much,” said Smith. “I know all of us wanted the same thing: we wanted this community to heal. What I would like to do is have a committee made up of the families [of the Robb Elementary School shooting] at the head of the table, the school, the city and the county to meet on the memorial.”
While Smith says he didn’t make any promises to voters, he told KENS 5 he has a vision of unity.
“I am just going to do my best to help get this community back together,” he said. “We have still got a lot of people flat on their back. We are going to have to reach down and lift them up, but we all have rights and responsibilities. It’s going to take this community working together and coming together.”