College Station, August 26
In a surprising twist of events, one local candidate for the upcoming College Station and Bryan city council and school board elections has decided to withdraw his candidacy. The filing period ended last week, August 19th, leaving the races for several key positions up in the air.
The Withdrawal
Craig Regan was initially slated to seek the place six seat but declared his intentions to switch the seat he was vying for on August 16. Later, Regan announced his decision to withdraw his candidacy for the place four seat on August 26. This will result in his name being excluded from the ballot entirely.
The Contests
Aside from the unexpected withdrawal, the end of the filing period revealed that there would be three contested races for the College Station city council. The seats up for grabs include places three, four, and six.
Vying for the place three seat, previously held by Linda Harvell, are David White and Valen Cepak. Harvell is unable to seek re-election due to term limits.
The place four seat will see a contest between Aron Collins and Melissa McIlhaney. Incumbent Elizabeth Cunha chose not to run for re-election.
The competition for the place six seat will be between Tre Watson and Scott Shafer since the current seat holder, Dennis Maloney, is also ineligible for re-election due to term limits.
Incumbent Bryan Council Members Unopposed
In contrast, all four incumbent Bryan city council members have filed for re-election without any opposition. Jared Salvato, James Edge, Marca Ewers-Shurtleff, and Kevin Boriskie will all be seeking re-election for their respective posts.
School Board Elections
Looking towards the school board elections, one person has filed for each of the two positions available for the College Station ISD school board. Darin Paine is seeking his second term for the at large place one, while Kristin Wilson has filed for the at-large place two position.
Two individuals have filed for the Bryan ISD school board. David Stennis has submitted his candidacy for the district-wide at-large seat, while incumbent Mark McCall decided to step down. Meanwhile, Ruthie Waller is seeking her fourth term representing BISD’s single-member district four, facing opposition from former Bryan city councilman Buppy Simank.
Conclusion
Local politics in College Station and Bryan are heating up as election season approaches. With the withdrawal of Craig Regan from the city council race and multiple contested seats elsewhere, the election is sure to be closely watched by residents and political observers alike.
