Incumbents were the winners Saturday in contested elections for Ward 4 on the City Council and Place 2 for the Coastal Bend College board.

In the council election, incumbent David Carabajal was elected to his second, two-year term with 118 votes.

His opponent, Juan R. “Johnny” Martinez, received only 47 votes.

In the Place 2 college board race, Doug Arnold beat Ysidro “Sid” Arismendez with 602 votes to the challenger’s 81 votes.

It was Arnold’s first time to be elected to the CBC board. He had been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Grady “Sam” Hogue, who moved away from the county in 2009.

At City Hall, Mayor Santiago “Jimbo” Martinez, Councilman John Fulghum and City Secretary Tomas P. Saenz were there to report the results in Ward 4.

Surprisingly, both Carabajal and his challenger, Martinez, each received 36 votes at the polling place.

But the early ballots allowed Carabajal to claim victory.

Carabajal had 38 votes by personal appearance and 44 mail ballots for a total of 82 in early votes.

Martinez had only 11 early votes, six of which were cast by personal appearance, one by E-slate machine and four by mail-in ballots.

“I want to thank the voters for electing me to a second term,” Carabajal said after the results were announced.

“I not only think it’s an honor but a privilege to serve and I will work to see that the city moves forward. I’ll do my best to take up where I left off,” Carabajal said.

Candidate Martinez was not at City Hall when the results of the election were announced.

The other two candidates seeking re-election to the council, Mayor Martinez and Councilman John Govella Fulghum, did not have opponents this year.

None of the five candidates seeking college board seats were there to hear the vote tallies.

The only contested race for the college board was between Arnold and Arismendez.

The other candidates were Victor Gomez, who received 428 votes, Emilia Dominguez, who drew 440 votes, and Laura Fischer, who received 478 votes.

In the breakdown, Arnold received 154 votes in Beeville, 23 votes in Pettus, 77 votes in Pawnee, 37 in Skidmore and 311 early votes.

Arismendez won 45 votes in Beeville, eight in Pettus, none in Pawnee, 14 in Skidmore and 14 early ballots.

Gomez, the Place 4 board member, got 123 votes in Beeville, 17 in Pettus, 38 in Pawnee, 26 in Skidmore and 224 early votes.

Dominguez, in Place 5, received 128 votes in Beeville, 17 in Pettus, 38 in Pawnee, 28 in Skidmore and 229 early votes.

Fischer, in Place 7, got 136 votes in Beeville, 18 in Pettus, 41 in Pawnee, 28 in Skidmore and 255 early votes.

Election results will become official once the college board and City Council canvass the votes and approve the results by a vote at their next meetings.