Local Candidate Withdraws After Filing Period Ends for City Council and School Board Elections

Election Developments in College Station and Bryan

In a recent upset for College Station and Bryan city council and school board elections, local candidate Craig Regan retracted his candidacy for the place four seat on August 26th. This surprising announcement arrived after the filing period had officially ended the previous week, on August 19th.

Competitive Races for College Station

This November’s elections for the College Station city council have become increasingly contested, with three open seats inspiring fierce competition. For the place three seat, David White and Valen Cepak have put their names forward. Due to term limits, current place three seat-holder Linda Harvell is ineligible for another term.

The competition for the place four seat now only includes Aron Collins and Melissa McIlhaney, considering Regan’s unexpected withdrawal. With incumbent Elizabeth Cunha opting out of seeking re-election, this seat remains wide open. While Regan originally filed for the place six seat, he sensationally switched to place four seat on August 16th before completely dropping out of the race.

The place five seat incumbent, Bob Yancy, is running for re-election. Candidates Tre Watson and Scott Shafer are vying for the place six seat, given current incumbent Dennis Maloney is unable to seek re-election due to term limits.

Election Race in Bryan City

Over in Bryan city council, all four incumbent members are not only running again but also face opposition. Incumbent Jared Salvato of single-member district three has Robert Achgill as resistance, while incumbent James Edge of single-member district four faces opposition from Shane Savage.

Incumbent Marca Ewers-Shurtleff from single-member district five is up against Patrick Giammalva, and incumbent Kevin Boriskie, running for the city-wide at-large position, faces competition from Justin Wager.

School Board Nominations

In the realm of College Station ISD school board elections, there is one candidate each for the two open positions. Darin Paine, seeking a second term as at-large place one member, stands unopposed, while Kristin Wilson is running for at large place two. This position is vacant as incumbent Blaine Decker has stepped down from the race.

For the Bryan ISD school board, David Stennis is running for the district-wide at-large seat, after incumbent Mark McCall’s decision not to participate. Ruthie Waller, running for her fourth term representing Bryan ISD’s single-member district four, faces opposition from former Bryan city councilman Buppy Simank.

Consequences of Withdrawal

Regan’s name will not appear on the November ballot due to his withdrawal after the filing deadline. This turn of events sees voters now having to make a choice between two candidates for the place four seat. Given the recent shake-up in these local elections, citizens of College Station and Bryan are awaiting the November election results with heightened anticipation.