Hernandez tops Kasseb in Pearland runoff
Winner of at-large Position 4 City Council seat wants citizens involved in government
After winning the at-large Position 4 seat for the Pearland City Council, Adrian Hernandez says he will push for unification in the city and to improve communication with residents so they feel comfortable being part of the governmental process.
The business owner, who defeated pharmacy co-owner Dalia Kasseb with 63.37 percent of the vote in Saturday’s runoff election, said: “One of the most interesting points of feedback came from my opponent’s supporters. They came to the polls and told me they were voting for my opponent because they wanted to vote for somebody new — someone who wasn’t already a part of the process because they felt left out of that process.
“I want them to feel comfortable being a part of that process.”
The unification of east and west Pearland is another issue Hernandez thinks needs to be addressed.
“We’re one city, right?” he said. “And I think we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve got park infrastructure on the east side, with places that we can host large festivals that bring people from both sides to be together and enjoy the community, and we’ve got things like the park-and-ride and sports complex there on the west side of Pearland that can draw people from the whole city. We’re building things that can bridge that gap and bring people together from opposite sides of Pearland.”
First, though, Hernandez will work to settle into the job.
“I’ve heard there’s a pretty steep learning curve. I’ve set up a couple of meetings with people who have been involved in the city to make sure I’m as useful as I can be from day one,” he said. “I’m just one of seven (on the council) — none of us, as one person, are able to change anything by ourselves, but we can begin to advocate for things that need to be done, things that we identified on the campaign trail, and work together to get those things accomplished.”
Kasseb said that although she lost, she thinks her candidacy brought a new perspective to Pearland politics.
I have faith that everything that happens is a gift from God, and I do not see this as a loss, but as a win in bringing a more diverse voice to our city,” Kasseb said. “We managed to educate voters and get them to vote in local elections for the first time, and that by itself is a success that we will continue to build on in future elections.”
Kasseb said she plans to remain engaged in her community and “continue to support my city and those running to make a positive impact to unify and represent the city.”
The runoff occurred after Hernandez and Kasseb were the top vote-getters in a May 5 election in which no candidate received at least half of the vote. That race included Brookside Village Police Chief Sonny Atkins.