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College Station voters will decide between Tre Watson, Padon Holt and Valen Cepak Nov. 3 in the race for city council Place 5.
Council member Bob Yancy gave up his seat to run for mayor, meaning this is a special election for an unexpired term.
Early voting runs from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5.
For more information on voting and polling locations, visit the Brazos County Elections Administration's website. For more election coverage, visit www.communityimpact.com.
Candidates were asked to keep Q&A responses within 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines or for style and clarity.
Lowes employee
Why are you running for city council?
I’m a 5th generation College Station resident. I’m running for other generational residents and working class families. Running to slow down displacement by defending our neighborhoods from out of town investors. Running to put more focus on our home grown youth, by turning the Macys building into a competitive recreational
What challenges does College Station face?
Displacement, and the problem it causes as far as affordability , ISD numbers decreasing, and keeping a hometown feel.
What projects are most important for the city to focus on for the future of College Station?
Affordability for its working class community. Increasing and involving our youth to fill our schools, and continuing to love and grow our city.
Transportation was identified by the Brazos County Health District's most significant barrier to care. Do you believe College Station has enough public transportation or pedestrian/cyclist mobility to support residents seeking care? If not, how would you fix that?
We do not have enough public transportation in our city. I believe if we educated more people about how and when to use them we would get a better turnout. I will work with Bryan City Council and Brazos County Commissioners to help educate and increase the usage of public
How will you ensure your constituents can access affordable housing?
There’s no way for one person to ensure access to affordable housing. You will need to be able to build a coalition with 3 other councilman to get anything passed. What I will do to insure that I’m doing my part is by continuing to deny developers from maximizing areas
Attorney
Why are you running for city council?
College Station has thrived in Texas A&M's economic orbit, but it's time we also thrived on our own. I'm running for what we can be — an economy that carries itself, a council and staff who work in the open, earn residents' trust, and use common sense with your money.
What challenges does College Station face?
Dependence. Every commercial center we have orbits campus, and our economy rises and falls with one employer. College Station needs a downtown of its own — where top-tier companies recruit top talent, residents gather, housing has options, and transit connects. Build that, and several problems shrink at once.
What projects are most important for the city to focus on for the future of College Station?
The ones where growth and independence meet. Start with a downtown: zoned and connected by the city, built by private investment, not public debt. Police and fire fully staffed. Streets and utilities paid for by the growth that needs them. Fill the buildings we own before we borrow.
Transportation was identified by the Brazos County Health District's most significant barrier to care. Do you believe College Station has enough public transportation or pedestrian/cyclist mobility to support residents seeking care? If not, how would you fix that?
No. Sidewalks stop mid-block, and bus routes don't go where the clinics are. Finish the sidewalks and crossings first. Then, if the regional system won't serve where our residents need to go, we should be willing to run our own routes — connecting neighborhoods to clinics, jobs, and campus.
How will you ensure your constituents can access affordable housing?
Affordable should mean attainable — a teacher or police officer should be able to buy here, not just rent. That means disciplined and consistent zoning, homes built for buyers instead of by the bed, and an end to fees stacked onto a new house and financed for thirty years.
Why are you running for city council?
I am running for City Council to provide leadership that honors our past, protects our present, and plans boldly for what’s ahead through the Cepak Triple P of Public Safety, Partnerships, and Pursuing Responsible Growth. I will equip first responders, build partnerships that strengthen community and ensure growth improves lives.
What challenges does College Station face?
College Station faces accelerating explosive growth and a housing shortage that could harm residents without responsible planning, eroded public trust in leadership due to too many incidents, massive $570 million budgets pushing tax rates to the voter approval limit, and an attitude that small businesses are a privilege not a
What projects are most important for the city to focus on for the future of College Station?
The most important projects for College Station’s future are equipping first responders with grants and emerging technologies, expanding Chapter 380 agreements for primary jobs like Terafab, strategically invest in city assets, connecting Town Lake to Feder Road with baseball to grow the tax base, and housing that protects historic neighborhoods.
Transportation was identified by the Brazos County Health District's most significant barrier to care. Do you believe College Station has enough public transportation or pedestrian/cyclist mobility to support residents seeking care? If not, how would you fix that?
I will always look to make this city more accessible. TxDOT is adding nearly 30 miles of pedestrian and cyclist paths, and committed volunteers on the city’s Active Transportation Board keep us ahead of the curve. There is still room to grow. I would sit with Brazos Valley Transit identifying
How will you ensure your constituents can access affordable housing?
As an inaugural Housing Action Committee member who testified before the state on affordable housing, this has always been a priority. I will use creative zoning and infill, revise fees, and expand our down-payment assistance. Everyone should have a chance at owning a home more attainable for the next generation.
