Candidates for mayor in both Bryan and College Station took questions Tuesday night, Oct. 13, at the Brazos Center in Bryan, the first of two evenings of a candidate forum ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce lists the event on its calendar.
Besides the two mayoral races, the evening included candidates for the Texas House District 12 and District 14 seats and a candidate in a Brazos County Precinct 4 race, KBTX reported.
College Station: housing costs
College Station's ballot lists two candidates for mayor, Bob Yancy and Elizabeth Cunha, according to the city's election page. Yancy currently holds the Place 5 seat on the City Council, and the rest of that term is on the same ballot as a special election.
Cunha said she supports density bonuses for apartment complexes as a way to encourage more entry-level housing, and pointed to programs she described as already in place. "I want affordable housing, but I can't promise you a fix," she said, as quoted by KBTX.
Yancy focused on what new homes cost to build. He said fees charged on development are passed from developers to builders and then into the final price, so that "the young family inherits the high cost of living," according to KBTX.
Bryan: Flock license plate cameras
Bryan's two filed mayoral candidates, incumbent Mayor Bobby Gutierrez and Rafael D. Pena III, took opposite positions on Bryan's use of Flock cameras, which read vehicle license plates.
Gutierrez said Bryan police officers support the system. "We know our police officers love it," he said, adding that, from the last report he received, Flock is redoing its work and using A.I. to check it, KBTX reported.
Pena said he does not think the cameras are the right approach as they now operate. "If it came before this council, I would have voted not to renew the funding, because I think it has lost the confidence of the people," he said, according to KBTX.
