BRYAN, Texas — For those who live in District 5 on the west side of Bryan, there's another chance at voting for your city councilman – or in this case, council woman.
Marca Ewers-Shurtleff took the lead on Nov. 8 for city council Place 5 with 40% of the vote, A.J. Renold holding second place with 32 percent. No majority win means these two are battling it out again, talking to residents in their district about what matters most.
"When I'm out and talking to people, most of the time it is about not increasing property taxes, and the burden on the constituents," Renold told KRHD. "That is something I completely support, and I understand the complexity of city budgets.”
Renold is an Aggie alumna who’s spent years working in local nonprofit organizations CASA-Voices for Children, and directing the regional American Red Cross branch. She’s been formally endorsed by the Bryan Firefighters Association, having worked alongside firefighters at emergency scenes.
"I have spent several years now with my experience with Red Cross in understanding the needs of the fire department," Renold said. "I have also learned a lot about how we can better approach planning.”
Ewers-Shurtleff, an Aggie alumna, has been a practicing attorney in Bryan since 2015. She says she's had years of experience working in politics, and says she has direct experience working on different boards in the city of Bryan.
"I think the main thing that people in my district are concerned about is continued economic development," she said. "We want to see more high paying jobs coming into Bryan, particularly west Bryan, and we’re perfectly posed to continue to make that growth.”
Ewers-Shurtleff is endorsed by former congressman Bill Flores, Bryan mayor-elect Bobby Gutierrez, and the third place runner-up for her the council seat, Kyle Schumann.
"Kyle Schumann and I have had several conversations about cost effective ideas he has that I think will improve the city of Bryan’s communication, so I’ve embraced them and folded them into my platform," Ewers-Shurtleff said.
Both Renold and Ewers-Shurtleff expressed concern that community members may not realize or remember that runoffs are on Dec. 8 at the They both encourage Bryan-ites to get out and vote at the DesignSpark Innovation Center at 3891 South Traditions Drive.