Bob Brick
Running for Place 1, Brick says he wants to implement a new policy that informs current residents of new developments that might affect their neighborhood. Brick said to The Eagle, “I have seen many, many neighborhood-type groups … go to the council with petitions for this or that, only to see them rejected,” Brick said. “And a lot of folks are very, very frustrated in the long number of rejections.” With the expansion of the Bryan-College Station area due to the influx of college students, Brick hopes to welcome the students without alienating the current residents.
Elianor-Azarak Vessali
The current Planning and Zoning Commissioner and local real estate agent, Vessali is running against Brick for the Place 1 seat. Vessali hopes that with well-researched planning, the city can avoid raising taxes while improving infrastructure in the Bryan-College Station area. “Not only do we have our residents, we have visitors that come every day,” Vessali told The Eagle. “That impacts our system whether it’s our safety, our traffic or our transit system. And that’s the minimum of what we should be able to maintain and develop, because without that, nobody’s happy.”
Linda Harvell
The current Councilwoman is seeking re-election this fall for the Place 3 seat. In the past two years Harvell has been an advocate for the neighborhoods in the Bryan-College Station area, representing the voices of the residents. Harvell told the Eagle, “The amount of people who just want to be heard, I think, is pretty amazing. They want to have a voice, they just want someone to listen to them.” Recently, Harvell said she would like to pick up the less desirable projects of growth and development, while still being able to maintain her connections with local residents.
Dallas Shipp
A political newcomer, Shipp is running against Harvell for the Place 3 seat. He was inspired to run for a seat in the City Council by all of the ideas he had on how to better his community. “I understand that as the city grows, we have to grow with it, so I am very forward-thinking when it comes to what needs to happen for that,” Shipp told The Eagle. He says he realizes that since College Station is a college town, growth is inevitable. However, he believes that the town should grow with it, and wants to implement ideas that would make everyone happy.