The Irving mayor’s race was over minutes after polls closed Saturday, and Mayor Beth Van Duyne heads into her second term with an old rival off the council.
“I didn’t realize it would be this disastrous,” former Mayor Herbert Gears said after learning he trailed Mayor Beth Van Duyne by 36 points in early voting results. When he realized the scale of his defeat, Gears canceled plans to swing by City Hall, where Van Duyne was already celebrating with supporters.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” she said. “I am excited to continue my work as mayor. Irving is a wonderful city, and I am just humbled I have the support of as many citizens as I do.”
By the time the night was over, seven-year council member Rose Cannaday — Van Duyne’s frequent sparring partner — had lost re-election in Place 5. It was Van Duyne’s third and widest victory over Gears, who lost his council seat to her in 2004, then his mayor’s seat to her in 2011.
