Campaign for College Station City Council Place 5 Begins

Residents of College Station will not only be going to the polls in November to vote in the Congressional midterm elections, they will also be choosing a new city council member. College Station Place 5 City Councilmember Larry Stewart passed away in June from pneumonia while in South Africa, and two candidates have filed to campaign to serve the rest of his term. Jana McMillan and John Nichols will be the two candidates on the ballot in November; Timothy Delasandro withdrew his candidacy before the filing deadline.

McMillan is a retired paint contractor, who has been involved with several nonprofit and political organizations. According to her campaign web site, McMillan is campaigning for city council to “improve its approach to governance and expenditures.” McMillan contends that College Station needs “common sense solutions that provide sustainability for existing projects; respecting sensible long range planning,” and that the city needs to “reduce its debt and curtail its involvement in the housing business, recreational tree business, and land acquisition.”

During an interview on WTAW 1620AM, McMillan noted that she had planned to run for city council during the 2011 municipal elections. McMillan said that one of the reasons she is a candidate is to ensure that the city “stays fiscally sound” and “creating jobs, and keeping taxes low, and encouraging businesses to College Station.” Most of what McMillan focused on was that the city should support business by providing a “hands off environment.” When asked if she would pursue a second term on the city council McMillan said she was “curious why you would ask that” and said that “it’s a kind of wait and see,” but when asked again she said that she would seek another term.

The other candidate, Nichols, is a Texas A&M University professor and head of the department of agricultural economics. Nichols has been chairman of the College Station planning and zoning commission, and has also served on the city's community appearance committee, the parks and recreation board and several local organizations. According to an article in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Nichols believes that it is important to serve the community, and the fact that he has “demonstrated commitment to serving the city of College Station and its citizens is the cornerstone of my campaign.”

In an interview with WTAW Nichols noted that the main reason why he is running for city council is to see that the city’s long term vision comes to fruition. Nichols called the College Station compressive plan a “complex document but an important one,” and wants to make sure that the city’s focus is maintained on the “long term.” Nichols also touted his experience on the planning and zoning commission and said that it is all about “listening and then studying the issues and not being afraid to take action.” Also, Nichols noted that if he were to win a seat on the city council that he would run for another full term.

This campaign looks similar to the campaign for City Council Place 2 between Jess Fields and Tony Jones, which pitted the “outsider” against the “voice of experience.” Nichols has an extensive record of votes to be judge by from the planning and zoning commission, while McMillan has never served in a public office. It should also be interesting if either candidate will be able to name specifics when pressed on the issues. Let the campaign begin.