The May local election was an historic cycle in Pearland with a record voter turnout.

With three City Council seats and a mayoral race on the ballot, 11.15 percent of registered voters headed to the polls May 6 to make their voices heard, making it one of the highest turnout elections for Pearland outside of a presidential or gubernatorial election.

Last year, only 2,744 residents—4.32 percent of voters—casted their ballots in the May election. Pearland has a total of 68,633 voters, according to the Brazoria County Clerk’s Office.

The crowded field of 13 candidates divided the Pearland vote, leading to two runoff elections on June 10. A runoff occurs when no candidate secures at least 51 percent of the vote.

In Pearland, Mayor Tom Reid will face his first mayoral runoff election against contestant Quentin Wiltz.

Reid, 91, is the longest-serving mayor in Pearland history; he served from 1978-1990. He took a hiatus and returned to the office in 1995 to serve to the present.

Reid is a former engineer who retired from Johnson Space Center in 1997 after 32 years. He has also served the city in the past as a planning and zoning commissioner, a City Council member, chairman of the Pearland Library Board and chairman of the Brazoria County Drainage District No. 4.

“My issue is building Pearland as one of the premier cities in the nation. We’re such a diverse community, and this is the first time we’ve had such diversity wanting to serve on our city. I think it’s great,” Reid said. “Everybody has a different view about what the city does, which is good. That’s how you raise and select the leaders and partners the community needs.”

Wiltz is a 10-year resident of Pearland and an executive at Stupp Coating LLC. He is president of the board for the Brazoria County Alliance for Children. He previously served as an ex-officio director for the Pearland Chamber of Commerce and ex-officio chairman for the Pearland Parks and Beautification board. Wiltz made two unsuccessful bids for Pearland City Council in 2013 and 2015.

If Wiltz is elected, he would be the city’s first black mayor.

“We’ve worked extremely hard—a lot of people know it doesn’t stop here. We have to continue the momentum and see where it takes us,” Wiltz said. “Its not just about people running, its about the entire community, and that’s what this election is about.”

The second runoff election is for City Council Position No. 7, the most contested race of the election cycle with six total candidates.

Dalia Kasseb took home the most votes—40.78 percent—and secured her place in the runoff. Kasseb will face off against Woody Owens, who received 21.05 percent of the vote, according to the election results.

“People in Pearland want diversity; they see that change coming in the future, and I’m going to keep fighting to make sure the voices of Pearland are going to be represented in council,” Kasseb said.

Kasseb, a pharmacist, is co-owner of Pyramids Pharmacy and a Shadow Creek Ranch resident. She received her doctorate from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2010 and moved to Pearland in 2013 to for her pharmacy residency at CHI St. Luke’s Health-Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.

If elected, Kasseb would be the first Muslim elected to public office in Pearland and Brazoria County.

Woody Owens is a former Pearland City Council member who served 12 years and retired from the council in 2013 due to term limits. Owens previously ran for mayor in 2014.

“It worked out well. My campaign was to get in the runoff [election], and that’s what I wanted to do,” Owens said. “This is an important race. It’s an important position for the city.”

Owens co-founded the Greater 288 Regional Partnership in 2010, which advocates for the development of the Hwy. 288 corridor, serves as a board member and is the organization’s former vice chairman. He is also the vice president of Houston-based Aztec Engineering Group Inc.

Other Pearland council races includes that of incumbent Gary Moore, who won his re-election bid. This cycle marks Moore’s second term on the council. J. David Little will succeed Greg Hill for Position No. 5. Both candidates were sworn into office May 15, when the election results were canvassed.

In Friendswood, incumbent John Scott defeated David O’Farrell to serve a third term on City Council. Scott was first elected in 2011. Sally Branson prevailed over Omar Peck for an open council seat.

Seven of eight proposed city charter amendments were also approved.