Short Wins Wichita Falls Mayor Reelection
Tim Short secured a second term as Wichita Falls mayor with 61 percent of the vote over challenger Scott Poenitzsch.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in City Hall
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Should Wichita Falls allow the planned Skybox data center in the business park?
Tim Short won reelection as mayor of Wichita Falls, defeating challenger Scott Poenitzsch with 61 percent of the vote in an election held Tuesday. Short will serve a three-year term and said he plans to focus on finishing projects the city began during his first term.
Why it matters
The result gives Short another term to continue the city's economic development plans, including a pending data center project in the Wichita Falls Business Park. Both candidates described the race as bitter on social media.
Short won 61 percent of the vote in the Tuesday election for a three-year mayoral term. The source does not provide total turnout figures or a comparison to prior mayoral results.
The players
Tim Short
Tim Short is the mayor of Wichita Falls, Texas, who was reelected to a three-year term.
Scott Poenitzsch
Scott Poenitzsch was the challenger who lost the Wichita Falls mayoral race to Tim Short.
The details
Short defeated Poenitzsch in the mayoral race, which both candidates said became bitter on social media. Short said he will concentrate on completing projects started during his first term, including continued economic development efforts.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Wichita Falls voters decided the mayoral race.
Thursday, November 5, 2026: Short spoke about his plans for the next term.
Political Context
The Wichita Falls data center project, bought by Skybox for $14.5 million, is operating under Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide moratorium on data centers. Democratic gubernatorial winner Gina Hinojosa has called for that moratorium to continue, so the city's permitting decision will sit within an unresolved state policy fight.
Residents may see the Skybox project's promised property tax benefits and high-paying jobs only if it clears state permitting and the moratorium is lifted. Short's continued focus on city economic projects signals what local development priorities will look like over the next three years.
The takeaway
Local mayoral races can shape how a city responds to state-level policy fights, such as the data center moratorium affecting Wichita Falls. Readers should watch permitting decisions for projects like Skybox's as they move forward.
What happens next
The Skybox data center project still awaits permitting from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas while it remains under the state moratorium.
Further reading
Follow local decisions in Wichita Falls City Hall coverage for more on the council and mayor's office.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Wichita Falls Times Record News.
Live Poll
Should Wichita Falls allow the planned Skybox data center in the business park?
