CSAN shifting into "Election Mode"

Happy 4th of July, everyone! While it is still early July, your CSAN team is already shifting into “election mode.”

We have at least three city council spots on the November ballot: Place 1, Place 2, and the Mayoral position.

Current Candidate & Council Landscape

• Council member Mark Smith is currently the only incumbent who has announced plans to run for re-election for Place 1.

• Council member Bob Yancy, currently serving in Place 5, has formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for Mayor. Because of the Texas "Resign To Run" rule, Council member Yancy cannot officially announce a mayoral run before August 6 without triggering a “resign to run” clause, which would force his immediate resignation from the council.

• Additional seat: If Council member Yancy chooses to run for Mayor, Place 5 will also open for election and will be on the ballot in November. This means College Station faces a potential turnover of more than half of its city council in the coming November election.
  

With candidate filing opening on July 18, the next few weeks will be hectic.

Click HERE for complete information on the schedule for the upcoming November election.

What the CSAN Board is Doing

The CSAN board is already holding informal meetings with candidates as they announce their campaigns. Immediately after filing closes in August, we will schedule formal interviews and announce our official endorsements.

This is a demanding time for our board, and an even busier season for the candidates. Regardless of who we endorse or who you ultimately vote for, every candidate deserves our gratitude. Running for office requires a selfless commitment of time and energy to build a better city.

The Reality of Serving on City Council

Serving on the city council is an immense responsibility. The council meets roughly every two weeks. A highly detailed meeting agenda usually becomes available on the Friday afternoon preceding the following Thursday council meeting. This leaves council members just six days — including the weekend — to digest agenda packet materials that typically span 400 to 1,300 pages. To put that in perspective, the original version of War and Peace was only 1,225 pages! For a user-friendly version of current agendas for the Council, Planning & Zoning, and three other committees, go to www.csantx.org and click the Local Govt Meetings link in the top menu bar.

Because these agendas are so dense, council meetings frequently run past midnight. This intense preparation is in addition to the many other community meetings and official duties council members must attend to throughout the week.

Stay tuned for more updates as filing season officially begins!

Shape the Future of Our City: Join the CSAN Board!

As local elections ramp up, our work to keep the community informed is more critical than ever. If you are passionate about local governance and want to help guide our city's future, we want you on our team. Contact us at info@csantx.org and we will send you an application to join the CSAN Board!