Brian Barth Elected to ERS Board of Trustees
August 7, 2019
The results are in! Brian Barth, Director of Project Planning and Development for the Texas Department of Transportation, has been elected to a six-year term on the ERS Board of Trustees. TPEA’s Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Brian for election at the commencement of the campaign earlier in the year. His term will commence on September 1, 2019 and run through August 31, 2025.
Brian was elected with 50.5% of the vote to Cora Bennett’s 49.5%. He received 17,019 votes out of 33,723 votes cast. The total number of votes represents 9.51% of ERS’s 355,690 eligible voters. While Ms. Bennett polled about 900 more paper ballot votes, Brian comfortably won the web ballot count by more than 1,200 votes, giving him a final margin of 315 votes. Brian also won a majority of both the annuitant and contributor votes, while Ms. Bennett took a majority of the non-contributor ballots. Brian polled particularly strongly in TXDOT and ERS, offsetting Ms. Bennett’s advantage in smaller agencies, HHSC, and DFPS.
TPEA members contributed heavily to Brian’s margin in web ballots, which proved decisive in the race. ERS Board elections typically draw about a 10% turnout, and this election was no exception. We deeply appreciate our members turning out for Brian - your vote made the whole difference!
