Mike Mauriello

Occupation: geoscientist/business analyst

Mauriello has lived in Houston for more than 30 years, including 10 years in Jersey Village. He has worked in the petroleum industry as a geoscientist and as a commercial analyst in business development. He concurrently served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for more than 25 years and recently retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Why are you running for Jersey Village City Council?

To serve a community that has truly become my home—not just a place to live, but a place to enjoy, protect and improve. I’ve thought about running for City Council for a few years and, after some discussions, many neighbors have asked why I don’t run. So, after the urging of many, here I am. It’s going to be a challenge, but I truly believe I have the insight and experience to help keep Jersey Village a safe, vibrant, well-managed community while moving forward. I look forward to serving a wonderful community.

What do you think are the most important issues for the city moving forward?

The lifeblood of any community is not only its citizens, but businesses that support the community. It’s the city’s job to protect and serve, then promote business development with honest, sensible programs. I believe our city’s major issue is how we compete to attract desirable, robust, modern businesses. This issue goes straight to having adequate revenues supporting these improvements. An expanded business base will add revenues so we can undertake these projects and others while supporting our police and firemen.

Sheri Sheppard*

Occupation: oil and gas specialist leader in Deloitte Consulting’s strategy and operations practice

Sheppard has served on Jersey Village City Council since 2012 and has been a resident since 2010. She is a board member of the Jersey Village Women’s Group and chairwoman of the Jones Road cleanup effort.

Why are you running for Jersey Village City Council?

My husband and I chose Jersey Village as the place we wanted to build our home and raise our family because it is a safe, close-knit community. I’m running for City Council to help maintain and improve upon that way of life, not just for my family, but for all of Jersey Village. I want to ensure that all citizens have a voice, that we maintain the highest levels of core city services [such as] police and fire, that we establish realistic and actionable goals for improvements and that we are fiscally responsible in achieving all of these things. 

What do you think are the most important issues for the city moving forward?

I think the most important issues relate to aging infrastructure and increasing population. We have programs in place to continuously improve our streets, drainage, water and sewer. Having a long-term plan from which to measure success is key. On the population front, we have significantly more people in the area than we did 30 years ago, which leads to zoning, traffic and crime concerns, as well as the changing wants and needs of citizens, all of which we are working diligently to address through the comprehensive plan.

*Incumbent

The candidates listed in this guide will be on the May 7 local election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s Cy-Fair coverage area. Only contested races are listed.