Local News: Mayor Candidates Discuss Issues at Downtown Bryan Association

Mayoral Candidates Mostly Agree
By Cassie Smith

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

The two candidates running for Bryan mayor demonstrated Wednesday that they have a lot in common.

Both are lifelong residents of the city, both are business owners, both have served as mayor pro tem and view downtown as the heart of Bryan. And both believe that the city needs to focus on improving what it considers "gateways" to downtown, including the Briarcrest/Villa Maria corridor, East 29th Street, Texas Avenue and South College Avenue.

Mayor Pro Tem Jason Bienski and Mitch Morehead, owner of Acme Glass and a former councilman, participated Wednesday in the first mayoral forum of the campaign season for the May municipal election. The forum was part of the Downtown Bryan Association's monthly meeting, and about 30 people were in attendance. The pair took turns answering questions related to downtown that were submitted by the audience and prepared by moderator Jesse Saginor, chairman of the board for the association.

The election is May 8, and the last day to register to vote is April 8.

Bienski, 39, has served on the City Council for five years, the past three as mayor pro tem. During that time, he said, he's helped develop growth in the city and downtown. He noted his support of the city's downtown renovation projects, worth about $18 million so far.

"We are spending the dollars to improve an aging city that we have all grown to love," Bienski said.

Morehead, 49, served on the City Council from 2000 to 2003 and was mayor pro tem for two of those years. He's also been involved with the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, the Bryan Business Council and Habitat for Humanity. If elected, Morehead said, he will focus on ensuring government transparency, being fiscally responsible, building strong relationships with other entities and pursuing neighborhood integrity and aesthetics throughout the city.

"We can't let emotions drive what we do with taxpayers' dollars. We have to make sure it makes good financial sense," Morehead said.

Both candidates said while it would be nice to move or eliminate one of the train tracks near downtown, the cost puts such a a project out of reach in the next few years.

Bienski said the city shouldn't be in the hotel business and that he voted against allowing the La Salle Hotel on Main Street to include a bar. There are multiple bars downtown and the city should never compete against local business owners, he said.

Morehead said he believes the city's role downtown is simple: create an environment where people want to come, whether that's to open a business, shop, eat or work. He said it's important that the city help businesses prosper.

Both candidates agreed that parking is a major issue in downtown but said it was a good problem to have.

Morehead said the city needs to identify more areas in which to encourage private developers to create parking as well as ask downtown workers to park off the main streets.

Bienski said he was against parking meters, but if a majority of people supported the idea, he would be willing to consider them.

Morehead said he wanted to ensure tax increment reinvestment zones were utilized to their full potential and to let an economic model drive what develops in the north end of downtown.

Bienski said he'd like to see the north end of downtown have more residential components and office space. That would allow people to eat, work, shop and live in the area. He said he'd also prefer to see more mom-and-pop shops move into the area over big chains.

Published on Thursday, March 11, 2010