Jimi Amos is entering local politics for the first time with his bid for Pearland mayor. He is a former engineer for Schlumberger Ltd. and currently works as a process improvement manager for the e-commerce site of retailer Sam's Club.
Quentin Wiltz is making his first bid for mayor this cycle. He unsuccessfully ran for city council in 2013 and 2015. Wiltz was as ex-officio director for the Pearland Chamber of Commerce and an ex-officio chair for the Pearland Parks and Beautification Board. He currently serves as board president of the Brazoria County Alliance for Children.
Early voting begins April 24 and runs through May 2. Election day is May 6.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and online at communityimpact.com for live coverage on election day, May 6.
*An asterisk marks the incumbent candidate
Jimi Amos
Jimi Amos is running for Pearland mayor.[/caption]Professional experience: Process improvement manager-e-commerce, Sam's Club
Years lived in Pearland: 5
Current civic positions held: member, Selfless4Africa
Campaign website: www.vote4amos.com
Top priorities
- Reduce high property taxes
- Eliminate air pollution from Blue Ridge Landfill and others
- Improve traffic flow
- Combat crime
- Technology
- Attract more businesses
What kind of voice would you be as a mayor and what perspective do you bring?
Mine is two-fold. No. 1 is experience. When you buy an iPhone and open it up, you feel good about the quality of what you're getting. I feel like for Pearland, that experience is something that I'd like to elaborate on. You come here to shop; the shopping experience is amazing. You don't have people breaking into your car. No. 2 is efficiency. How do we use our resources? Just because the money is there, it doesn't mean we have to spend it. But how do you do things in a more efficient way? So I come to Pearland, it's an amazing experience and city, and that's what I'm thinking about. And two, on every level of government affairs how is it efficient and adding value. You're paying for it. That comes from the voice I bring. I'm running for mayor to make a difference. I'm passionate about my property taxes and the stench at Blue Ridge Landfill.
The Blue Ridge Landfill was cited by the state as the alleged source of the odor in west Pearland. How will you be an advocate for residents?
I think the kinds of fines we have right now are small. Anyone can pay that. I think the fines can be tighter. To be absolutely frank with you, I think that maybe the right stakeholders are not at the table. Does the board of the company know? I’d like to sit with the general manager of the landfill and have that discussion with him to understand his mind-set. The key thing is I don’t think anybody goes around thinking I’m going to pollute the air. The current technology today is not meeting the future.
Why should residents vote for you on May 6?
I'm focused on our tax base and the pollution out of the Blue Ridge area. My goal is to make Pearland a place that you want to tell your family and friends about, a place where residents are more engaged and businesses are always welcome. It's as simple as can be.
Tom Reid*
Pearland Mayor Tom Reid is running for re-election this May.[/caption]Professional experience: Retired, Space Shuttle Program-Johnson Space Center
Years lived in Pearland: 58
Current civic positions held: Mayor, city of Pearland; board member, Pearland Arts League; board member, Adult Reading Center; board member and past president, Houston-Galveston Area Council; executive committee, Bay Area Transportation Partnership; board member, Economic Alliance of the Houston Port Region; chairman, Pearland Development Authority; member, Pearland Area Citizens Corps.
Campaign website: www.reidforpearland.com
Top priorities:
- Mobility
- Maintain small town atmosphere
- Encourage economic development
- Community engagement between east and west Pearland
- Quality of life, parks and beautification efforts
How do you see the role of mayor, how has it changed and what does the city do?
You ought to see my calendar. My perception of what a mayor should be is you should be where the people are. I'm never in my office. I feel like we need to reach out to the region and let them know about Pearland. As we grow as a community, we'll be able to partner with these organizations, and that's what we're doing today. Right now, we're working with Sugar Land, and we'd like to work with them on some sort of development. We'd like to work with the opera house in Galveston and maybe we can partner on some special events there and maybe here too. As you grow as a city and an emerging cosmopolitan city, there's one other thing that is really my goal. I formed the Pearland Alliance for Arts and Culture with the goal to bring into Pearland museums, performing arts facilities and people places, with that I mean we need a place where we can have seating of about 6,000-8,000 people. We're working on that as we speak.
The Blue Ridge Landfill was cited by the state as the alleged source of the odor in west Pearland. How will you be an advocate for residents?
When we started getting the smell, our public works department got busy on it. We formed a task force. We did get the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality involved. We can file a lawsuit, but the TCEQ is the only one that can shut them down and fine them. We have asked our state Rep. Ed Thompson and Sen. Larry Taylor to drop by and ask TCEQ to be more diligent. There’s nothing more we can do. We know it’s a problem there. I’m not sure what more we can do because we have no shutdown authority or penalizing authority. It’s a challenge.
Why should residents vote for you on May 6?
When I was asked to run for city council in the early days, and I said if I get involved I'm going to really work on building a plan for us to make it happen. And I've done that. I followed a process that we used to use on the space flights with the idea that whatever you do today, you have to see what's going to be results 20 years from now. You have to make sure you do and it'll blend in with what you're doing and contribute in a positive fashion to it. And I've worked hard at it. I've done something that no other Pearland mayor has done. I've reached out regionally. I've reached out to major organizations and have been able to bring back the goodies. I'm building a city that I believe is something we're proud of. If you're building something that's very special that's attuned to a diverse community, building for a quality of life, the good news is we've planned ahead. I feel like I've reached out to the people and listened to what they've said.
Quentin Wiltz
Quentin Wiltz is running for Pearland mayor.[/caption]Professional experience: Director of commercial, Stupp Coatings LLC
Years lived in Pearland: 10
Current civic positions held: Board president, Brazoria County Alliance for Children; treasurer, Zeta Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Campaign website: www.wiltzforpearland.com
Top priorities:
- Mobility and traffic
- Jobs and economic development
- Environment
What kind of leadership do you bring?
As we have evolved, I have heard people say the position is a figure head. I tend to disagree. Maybe that's how it was in the past, but I believe that a mayor especially of Pearland should be engaged. What I see now, election time should not be the only time to allow people to gain information about what's going on in the city. That let's me know there's a gap that needs to be filled. One thing I think we need to implement is quarterly community meetings that are initiated by the city, town hall meetings. Everyone has different issues, and communication, I can assure you, is sparse. People want to know what's going on, how we're handling our finances. They want to be more involved, and we have to give them that opportunity.
The Blue Ridge Landfill was cited by the state as the alleged source of the odor in west Pearland. How will you be an advocate for residents?
Although I do not live in Shadow Creek Ranch, it doesn’t mean I don’t understand and feel for the people that live here. I take the Beltway 8 and smell the odor. It is a concern and should be a concern for all residents in Pearland. If people are getting sick, it becomes a stigma for people who want to live here. There were controls put into the 2009 settlement agreement that the city at that point should have taken steps to monitor those controls. That’s where we fell short. Now, the opportunity presents itself again. Ultimately, we need to look at ways to reduce waste.
Why should residents vote for you on May 6?
We've had the same driver for 34 years, and he's done a phenomenal job getting us to where we are. I've been able to participate and learn and watch, observe and understand over the years where we are as a community and understand how important it is to be involved in leadership and service. But I think we're at a point that to get us to where we need to be, we need to step back and say based on what you've given us, we can take from here and to allow a new way of thinking for the 21st century. People sometimes think that to be a good leader, you need to finish what you've started. Based on my Christian faith, there was a leader called Moses. He was great not because he got people to the end but because he laid the foundation and inspired new leadership to take those people farther. I've seen that leadership; I've been inspired by it.
Pearland polling locations
Registered voters in Brazoria County can cast their ballot at any polling location within the county during early voting and on election day. More information can be found online at the elections division of the Brazoria County Clerk’s Office.
Drainage District No. 4 Building
4805 W. Broadway St.
Pearland Recreation Center
4141 Bailey Road
Pearland Westside Library
2803 Business Center Drive, Ste. 101
Public Safety Building
2555 Cullen Boulevard
Shadycrest Baptist Church
3017 Yost Boulevard
Silverlake Recreation Center
2715 Southwyck Parkway
Tom Reid Library
3522 Liberty Drive
