On May 5, several seats on the Jersey Village City Council and the Harris County ESD No. 9 board of commissioners will be up for election. The period of time to file for a place on the ballot begins today, Jan. 17, and ends at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15. The last day to register to vote in the May elections is April 5. Early voting begins April 23 and ends May 1. In Jersey Village, Council places 1, 4 and 5 are up for election. Jersey Village City Council members serve two year terms without compensation. Council members can serve no more than three consecutive terms. The ESD board—which is responsible for collecting taxes for the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department and managing the department’s annual budget—is made up of a total of five commissioners who serve alternating four-year terms. Candidates in ESD races do not run against each other head-to-head. Instead, voters are given the option to vote for none, one, two or three of the candidates among all who have filed to run. Here are the incumbents currently serving:

Jersey Village City Council

Place 1: Andrew Mitcham (appointed by council in 2015 to fill vacancy, re-elected in 2016) Place 4: Sheri Sheppard (elected 2012, re-elected in 2014 and 2016) Place 5: Gary Wubbenhorst (elected 2016)

Harris County ESD No. 9

Betty Avery (elected 2014) Jeremy Martinson (elected 2014) Scott DeBoer (elected 2014) Look for additional local election coverage from Community Impact Newspaper after the filing period has closed.