BRYAN, Texas — Marca Ewers-Shurtleff, a lawyer in Bryan, has decided to run for District 5 on the Bryan City Council in the November midterm elections.
Ewers-Shurtleff has served on several boards for the City of Bryan, including the Planning and Zoning Commission, for years.
Ewers-Shurtleff's opponents are AJ Renold and Kyle Schumann. We caught up with her at POV Coffee in Bryan where she answered our questions regarding her campaign.
Question:
"You worked at the state capital?"
Answer:
"I did, yes I did, and before that I had done some time in DC. I worked for Congressman Lamar Smith, which was out of Texas 21 back then."
Question:
"Now I know being a lawyer keeps you busy but what do you do in your free time?"
Answer:
"I love to hunt. I shoot competitive sporting clays. I think that's a lot of fun."
Question:
"Are you a sharp-shooter?"
Answer:
"I'm getting better. I've won a couple of prizes which says a lot because in my first shoot I shot 11 out of 100 which was just embarrassing. I've improved, I've improved vastly. We do a lot of that with our big brothers, big sisters charity shoot and we like to support that way because it's also a hobby. I think with being somewhat changed to a desk or a courtroom, you get a little bit chlastrophobic. I grew up on a farm and ranch, so I absolutely crave that outdoor time. That's certainly my happy place and my hobby."
Question:
"What connects you with this area?"
Answer:
"Sure. Like a lot of us, I came here for college. I started at A&M in 2002. I worked in a feed yard for some die-hard Aggies up there. My family had always been a farming/ranching family, so nobody had ever gotten a formal education.... I mean, never missed a game, and I fell in love with A&M through them.... I went to law school in Houston. After law school, I came straight back here. I worked for another attorney for about six months, but I've had my own solo shop in Bryan since about 2015. I let the folks know I wanted to volunteer, moved to planning and zoning, and now I serve as the Vice-Chair. My favorite thing about the City of Bryan, our community as a whole, and our sister city College Station is that if you want to get involved, the doors are open. You simply have to knock and you'll be welcomed in."
Question:
"On the State side of things and planning and zoning side of things, have you noticed any growth you want to see in Bryan?"
Answer:
"I want to see that kind of growth continued. As someone who's been a part of that decision-making for the last few years, I really want to see those decisions made at the city level that will continue to keep that kind of growth possible."
Question:
"What would be the simplest things or issues in your area that you would say, 'I want to see this happen by the end of my term' if you were elected?"
Answer:
"It's my goal to continue Bryan on the path for young, professional families, retirees, folks like that to make their permanent home that's good for everyone in the city."
Question:
"By your own admission, you're kind-of late in the game in terms of running for office. Why did you decide to run so late?"
Answer:
"I think it's...it became very clear to me that in order to keep Bryan on the same path, I needed to run and secure the spot myself."
Question:
"If a politician messes up, the people hold them to an extreme amount of accountability. Do you think that's fair?"
Answer:
"I think we all have our own political beliefs. I think it's crucial to set those aside when it's time to run a city. I do believe in holding politicians accountable. I think with great power comes great responsibility and that's in any role in your life. As a lawyer, I have that too. People come to me when they need help, and i'm accountable to serve them to the best of my ability."
Question:
"If you had to tell someone about yourself in a minute, and you only had a minute, what would you tell them?"
Answer:
"I would tell them I'm running for City Council in Bryan based on my knowledge and experience. Whenever we have the overturn with the City Council, after the election, the most senior member on council will have served there for six months. So I think to keep that momentum in the City of Bryan that has been hardly fought behind the scenes for many, many years, we have to elect knowledgeable, reliable, proven individuals to serve on that council. Individuals who have that experience in both city and state government, who understand legislation, who know how to write legislation, and who will work for the City of Bryan."
If you'd like to learn more about Ewers-Shurtleff, you can visit her campaign page.