Bryan City Council District 5 runoff election Thursday

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The runoff election for Bryan City Council District 5 is Thursday and candidates are getting ready.

District 5 encompasses much of west Bryan, an area that has seen significant growth. Marca Ewers-Shurtleff and AJ Renold are vying for the spot, and both are encouraging voters to show up.

“Runoffs have very low voter turnout, very often, the first-place candidate will go into a runoff and not win the runoff because their supporters think ‘we’ve already got this’ and they don’t turn back out. If you supported me, if you believe in my platform, please, I’m begging you, go out and vote on Thursday,” said Ewers-Shurtleff.

“To come out again means that you’re invested in having a diverse city council. And it matters, the experience matters. Involvement in community matters and awareness of community matters. And although we have similar issues, my opponent and I come from very different experiences,” Renold said.

Renold says her focus now is around the growth of west Bryan and how that will look in the future for resources and public safety. As a resident of west Bryan for much of her life, Renold says she knows the area.

“I do believe that the government is, it should be, focused on services and infrastructure in order to create that fertile ground for economic development. And so that’s one of the things I think I will make sure that we are keeping at the forefront of our minds as we go into budget planning for next year,” Renold said.

Ewers-Shurtleff has been involved with many decisions around growth as a member of the Planning and Zoning Committee. She says being on the council will be a way to build on those.

“We are poised to see the most development and growth, in my opinion, in the entire city and we’ve already seen that begin to come to culminate. I think if we have a strong leader and a champion supported by the rest of the council that can really take an idea that benefits the west side of Bryan, and run with it and gain support,” Ewers-Shurtleff said.

Both candidates say they are right for the spot based on experience. Renold says her work with nonprofits, community members and with Texas A&M will help.

“Our city council needs to have diversity of thought and diversity of experience. And I have a long history of running businesses, nonprofits or businesses and a lot of experience collaborating with others,” she said.

Ewers-Shurtleff said with a history of working with the city, voters know what to expect.

“I have a proven record of economic development, improving infrastructure and maintaining public safety, while keeping a tax rate low. Voters, for me, don’t have to rely on any kind of campaign promises or speeches, they can go and look at my voting record,” she said.

Ewers-Shurtleff is endorsed by the current and former Mayors of Bryan. Renold is endorsed by two former City Council District 5 members.

Voter turnout is down this year with only 424 ballots submitted during early voting, according to the Brazos County Election Administrator.

DesignSpark Innovation Center will be the only polling location open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.