Missouri City residents will have the chance to vote for district City Council representation in the upcoming Nov. 5 election. Incumbent District A City Council Member Reginald Pearson will face Cheryl Sterling at the polls. Get to know them both below: Cheryl Sterling Occupation: Retired Educator Years in Missouri City: 26 Phone number: 281-261-0549 Website: cherylsterlingcampaign.org     1) What would you do to promote diversification of Missouri City’s economic base? To promote diversification of Missouri City economic base, I will definitely coordinate and collaborate with the Missouri City City Manager and the Manager of Economic Development. These two individuals will be vital in promoting business and industries in the city of Missouri City. Collaboratively, we will develop strategies that will forge partnerships that will enhance and promote businesses to become a part of our city. My intent is to ensure that these strategies will create some dynamics in mainstreaming and implementing economic programs for Missouri City. I would like to create a climate that will entice companies and organizations to promote diversification and to align with existing programs that will encourage them to relocate. 2) What do you think Missouri City needs to have in order to attract more visitors and tourists? This is what I think Missouri City needs to attract more visitors and tourists. We desperately need destination locations, family-style restaurants, recreational activities for children, concert venues, movie theater, museums and family oriented entertainment. We need a town center that will create an environment that will attract visitors and tourist. More importantly, we can promote our city by broaden our distribution base. It will be vitally important that we make the most effective use of the opportunities and the resources that we will have to offer. Missouri City will be more visible via social media in promoting events and optimizing those caviars that are available to insure we can develop a culture of evidence that will entice visitors and tourists. 3) If elected, what will be your top priority, and how will you go about accomplishing this task? If elected for the position of District A, my top priority will be to strongly promote revitalization and the development of Missouri City by focusing on businesses, high quality grocery stores, retail stores and restaurants. My goal will be to collaborate and corroborate with the City Manager and the economic development manager. I would like to nurture a relationship that will build on the dynamics of making Missouri City the “Show-Me City.” Reginald Pearson (incumbent) Occupation: Corporate Buyer Years in Missouri City: 20+ Phone number: 832-962-1060 Website: www.electreginaldpearsonfordistricta.com   1) What would you do to promote diversification of Missouri City’s economic base? I would sit down with our City Manager and our Economic Development Director to look at what plans the city already has in place. I would look at how we could recruit more businesses to relocate to our city, package our city the same way a city that is vying for Amazon, Super Bowl, World Series or even the Olympics [would] and come up with a way for us to show ourselves to major corporations across the country. [I would] work with our county, state and federal elected officials that represent our area to help us to promote diversification of our economic base. [I would] continue to have our Economic Development Director attend conferences like the International Council of Shopping Centers along with other events where we can get some exposure on the local, state and national level to help us bring more business to the city. 2) What do you think Missouri City needs to have in order to attract more visitors and tourists? We need to focus on our brand and highlight the qualities we have as a city. We have very wonderful parks, including a very new skate park. [We should] focus on the heritage of the city. For example, we have the Freedom Tree, which marks a significant chapter in U.S. and Texas history. We need a destination venue where we can have various events in the area that we could use to highlight our diverse population. [We should] continue to have diverse types of community events that draw people from the surrounding cities. For example, our annual Community Night Out concert draws people from the surrounding cities. 3) If elected, what will be your top priority, and how will you go about accomplishing this task? If I were elected, my top priority for my district would be the development [and] redevelopment of the Texas Parkway-Cartwright Corridor. I would go about accomplishing that by a few things. I would first sit down with our City Manager and our Economic Development Director to access what tools we to provide incentives that we could use to work with the property owners that need an update. This could be a means to stir up business development. [I would] have a market study done to see what types of businesses could be sustainable in the area. [I would] hold a District Meeting to hear what the types of businesses the community would like to see in area. [I would] meet with all of the owners of the businesses along the corridor so that we can have dialog with the property owners that have not reinvested in their properties the need for them to do that so that the whole community, including them, could benefit from it.