Hyland Hills released the special district unofficial election results with Margaret Gutierrez and Warren L. Blair coming out on top. 

Voters chose from seven candidates for three positions in the at-large election. Official results will come out after May 11, which is when district officials should finish counting the absentee ballots and the mailed overseas ballots.

According to the unofficial tally, Gutierrez led the ballot in 554 votes, allowing her to claim the first open seat. Warren Blair claimed the second seat with 510 votes.

The numbers were razor-thin for the third seat, which is why outstanding ballots are so critical. Vying for the position is incumbent Board President Donald Ciancio, who had 483 votes in the unofficial tally, and challenger Paul Page with 482 votes. 

Randy Swanson claimed 423 votes, Max Math had 382 votes and Robert Jones had 85 votes. None of the three had enough votes to win a seat.

Gutierrez, the top vote-getter in the election, said she hopes to understand the division in the district. 

“I'm new to the board, I think it would be imprudent of me to just assume that there's this division without understanding what that is,” she said.

She hopes to provide good governance for the taxpayers of Hyland Hills, which is one reason she ran for the board. 

“I’ve benefited from all the recreational opportunities that Hyland Hills offers,” she said. “What motivated me to run is to make sure that we are serving all the residents of the community and keeping Hyland Hills affordable for all the residents by ensuring that we are mindful of the taxpayer dollars.”

Gutierrez has had limited interactions with Yvonne Fischbach, executive director of Hyland Hills, but thinks she has been doing a good job. She reviewed 10 years' worth of their comprehensive annual reports prior to running. 

“So based on that review, I think that she's done a very good job from that perspective,” she said.

Blair did not return requests for comment.