First Look: Bryan Mayoral Candidates

Bryan residents will have several choices to make during the municipal elections in May, as there are four seats on the City Council that will be on the ballot. While residents from
Single Member Districts 1, 2, and 3 will all be voting on who will be their city councilmembers, all of the residents of Bryan will be voting for Mayor. This year current Single Member District (SMD) 3 Councilmember Jason Bienski, who is also serving as Mayor Pro Tem, is campaigning against former city councilmember Mitch Morehead. Jason Bienski was elected to the Bryan City Council in Single Member District 3 in 2005 and received 82% of the vote, and was reelected three years latter in 2008 again with 82% of the vote. While Morehead served on the city council as the At Large Councilmember, also as Mayor Pro Tem, from 2000 until 2003.

There will be several issues that will be important during the campaign, and what will be interesting is if either candidate can make significant distinctions between their positions on the issues. During a recent forum that was sponsored by the Downtown Bryan Association (DBA), both candidates agreed that there needs to be a focus on the improvement of the gateways to Downtown Bryan. Both candidates seem to be focusing their campaigns on the business and economic development of Bryan. Bienski specifically focused on needing to improve the infrastructure of Bryan, while Morehead focused on fiscal responsibility. During the DBA forum Morehead stated that he would focus on ensuring more government transparency, and that “we can’t let emotions drive what we do with taxpayer’s dollars.” This seems to suggest that Morehead believes that there has been a lack of transparency in the city government and that more than the best needs of the city are being taken into account when the council decides how to budget funds. While business development and the continued development of Downtown Bryan are important issues, there are many areas of Bryan that have not seen enough development.

Both candidates have been heavily involved in the community. In addition to being a city councilmember and a realtor with Brazosland Realty, Bienski is also on the Board of Directors of the Research Valley Partnership and the Board of Directors of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments. Bienski is also involved with the Bryan-College Station Intergovernmental Committee, the St. Joseph’s Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Mitch Morehead is currently the owner of Acme Glass, and has been involved with the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, the Bryan Business Council, and the Habitat for Humanity. During the previous two campaigns Bienski enjoyed endorsements from the Bryan-College Station Eagle editorial board, and both times the Eagle touted Bienski’s experience in the community as the deciding factor. During the 2003 the Eagle endorsed Morehead’s opponent, and cited that Morehead was too focused on short term goals and did not have a broad long-term vision for Bryan. It is more likely that the Eagle will endorse Bienski than Morehead because of the success that the City of Bryan has had during Bienski’s tenure on the council, and the paper tends to endorse candidates who have more overall experience.

During an interview with WTAW 1620AM, Bienski touted his experience as Mayor Pro Tem and stressed the importance of maintaining the “continuity” of the Bryan City Council. Because of the effects of the economic downturn Bienski noted that he felt that the city should cut the budget in order to avoid a budget deficit and avoid raising taxes on Bryan residents. Morehead said that constituents have told him that developing the areas around Texas Avenue and College Avenue are important and that “they really like the idea of bringing Bryan back” during an interview with WTAW 1620AM. While Morehead said that he wants to see the economic development continue to more forward, he also said that more of a focus needs to be made on neighborhood integrity and crime prevention. The campaign for Bryan mayor does not have as much potential to be as the contentious as the campaign for College Station mayor, but it may be one of the more well funded and visible campaigns. While Bryan residents will all be voting for mayor, it should be interesting to watch how the down ballot campaigns in the single member districts affect the outcome of the mayoral election.