Local News: College Station City Council Runoff Elections

CS Runoff Candidates Battle Down to Wire
By Cassie Smith

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

The candidates in College Station's City Council runoff election for the Place 4 seat have been campaigning almost nonstop, they said, and think the outcome could be pivotal for the city's future.

Neither incumbent Lynn McIlhaney nor political newcomer Katy-Marie Lyles garnered enough votes in the May 9 election to win the three-year unpaid position on the council.

Candidates must win 50 percent of the total plus one vote to take the seat.

McIlhaney received 1,480 votes, 49 percent of the total, while Lyles walked away with 1,304 votes, or 43 percent of the total.

By Friday afternoon, 859 residents had voted early.

Election day is Saturday.

A Second Chance

Both candidates said they had been busy walking neighborhoods, meeting residents and spreading the word about the election.

"We're fighting for this, and so is the other side," said Lyles, who thinks her face-to-face interaction with voters could make the difference in the election.

The greatest challenge has been trying to persuade people to vote, she said.

"If we ever find a cure for apathy, ministry would be a lot easier and so would politics," she said.

Lyles said she'd been trying to demonstrate to residents the need for change and accountability.

"The greatest ability people have is that we can think for ourselves," Lyles said.

Since the May 9 election, Lyles said, she's won support in the real estate community, but that doesn't make her the real estate candidate or the developers' candidate, she said, emphasizing that she's "the people's candidate."

McIlhaney said she'd been pounding the streets since the May 9 election, putting out more signs, visiting neighborhoods and businesses and answering as many questions as possible.

In an attempt to make herself as available as possible, McIlhaney said, she's been giving out her home phone number so people know they can always contact her with questions.

"I'm not an 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. representative," she said. "I never have been. If I'm there to serve, I need to be there when questions or concerns come up."

According to the latest campaign finance report, which was completed May 1, McIlhaney holds the fundraising advantage. She had contributions totaling $1,675, and financial supporters included a former City Council member and a developer.

She spent nearly $1,462 on her campaign and had $2,432 remaining in her account, including money left over from previous campaigns.

Lyles raised $1,045, including donations from two former City Council members. She spent $787 on her campaign, according to the campaign finance reports from April 9 to May 1.

Reasons to Run

McIlhaney said the experience that she'd gained over more than two decades on the council was an advantage for shaping the city's future.

The knowledge she's gained will help with multi-year financial forecasting and gauging the economic impact of council decisions, she said.

McIlhaney said she works hard to represent residents while making decisions based on what's best for the city as a whole.

The proof of her abilities can be found in the successes that the city has enjoyed over the years of her service, she said, citing the city's growth while maintaining a high level of services, an expansion of parks and a focus on being a sustainable community.

The city has also maintained a low tax rate, she said.

"We continue to be a community that people want to move to," McIlhaney said.

But Lyles said the City Council is either out of touch with the community or realizes what the residents want but chooses to ignore them anyway.

The city's plans to renovate streets in the Northgate area, which would eliminate some parking spaces to put in 8-foot-wide sidewalks, is one area where residents deserve to be heard, Lyles said.

That issue sparked her interest in running for the council seat, she said, adding that Northgate business owners, bars and churches agree on few things but that the need for parking is one of them.

Building a Plan

The election is important, McIlhaney said, because the council is updating its comprehensive plan. With so many residents volunteering their time and offering input on the document, she said, it's important to have continuity with someone who has been through the early stages of this process and experience in drafting previous plans.

"Citizens care about this community, and they care enough to be involved, and they are a tribute to the kind of community we have," she said.

Adoption of the plan was only the first step, McIlhaney said, noting the importance of implementing the programs effectively and efficiently.

"I've been part of this process, and I want to see it through," she said.

If re-elected, McIlhaney said, she would work to ensure that the council stays focused on the whole plan and does not become distracted by pieces of it.

"I see how all the different parts have to fit together in order to make it work, and I think I'll be able to be effective in the decisions that come from that," she said.

Lyles said that the development of the comprehensive plan was important but that council members need to understand that it's a living document that should be continually evolving.

If elected, Lyles said, she would work to ensure that there is some accountability for people in charge of seeing that the plan is executed.

Lyles said the city also needs to manage growth effectively but must also address anti-growth sentiment.

But some of the city's most pressing issues can't be directly addressed in the comprehensive plan, she said, citing fiscal responsibility, cooperation and accountability.

The only way for the city to restore some level of cooperation with the city of Bryan is to replace the hurt feelings and egos on the council with fresh perspectives, she said.

Transportation and Money

Lyles said the city needs to be more fiscally responsible as it decides between needs and wants.

Needs, she said, include addressing long-term water sources, hiring a new police chief, planning for transportation projects and managing growth. But the City Council seems more focused on "wants" such as red-light cameras, a convention center and unnecessary policies, such as the proposed tree ordinance, she said.

One city need, McIlhaney said, is a public transit system. If she is re-elected, McIlhaney said, a regional system to get workers to jobs and visitors into the city would be a priority.
The city should begin studying options now, McIlhaney said, because implementing the project could take three to four years.

"As time continues, we really do need to find an effective and efficient way to move goods and services through and to the city," she said

Published on Sunday, June 07, 2009