Suburban counties pick leaders
Fort Bend County could be close to electing its first Black sheriff since Reconstruction, as Democrat Eric Fagan holds a lead over his Republican opponent, according to election-night returns.
The Fort Bend County Clerk reported that Fagan had taken a lead over Republican Trever Nehls, the Precinct 4 constable, early in the evening.
Fagan, 60, spent 31 years in the Houston Police Department in various roles, including as amember of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s security detail. He is facing off against Nehls, 52, who has served in law enforcement for 27 years in Fort Bend, working for the Sugar Land Police Department prior to his two terms as Precinct 4 constable. Nehls is running to succeed his brother, Troy, a two-term county sheriff who ran for Congress.
If Fagan’s lead holds, he will become the first Black candidate elected sheriff in the county since Walter Burton, a freed slave, in 1869. Fagan’s victory would continue a wave of Democratic victories in one of the state’s most diverse counties.
In a phone interview on Election Night, Fagan said hewould be honored to followin Burton’s footsteps and noted they share some history.
“(Burton) was the person who started my school — Prairie View A&M University— that’s the school I graduated from and got my un-
dergrad (degree) and master’s, so meand Sheriff Burton have a lot in common,” he said.
Fagan ran on a series of proposed reforms and on building more trust between law enforcement and the community. His platform includes obtaining body cameras for deputies and improving how the sheriff’s office deals with the mentally ill. He also said he wants to undo changes to the county’s 911 dispatch system. Previously, the closest available law enforcement unitwas dispatched. Last year that was changed to having county-funded sheriff’s deputies dispatched initially for 911 calls. Nehls promised to obtain body cameras for the sheriff’s office; continue to strengthen its mental health unit and crisis intervention team; and provide more education and training opportunities to jail inmates to help reduce recidivism.
As an HPD patrol officer, Fagan handled awide variety of cases including sexual assault, family violence, burglaries and homicides. Fagan holds a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a master of science in juvenile forensic psychology from Prairie View A&M.
Nehls holds master’s degrees in public administration from Central Michigan University and strategic studies from the U.S. Army WarCollege. AnArmyReserve colonel, he served 32 years in the military, including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, and plans to retire from military service by the end of the year.
Galveston County
City of Galveston mayor.
In what many expected to be a twomanrace for the nonpartisan position, Roger “Bo” Quiroga leads Craig Brown by a small margin, with the race likely headed to a
runoff, according to electionnight returns. Quiroga, a fiscal conservative who served as mayor from 1998 to 2004, committed to reining in the island’s spending and cutting jobs in city government, while raising the minimum wage for low-level city staffers. Brown, who succeeded Jim Yarbrough as interimmayor inJuly after serving as a City Council member since 2016, ran on a platform of expanding economic development on the island and investing in more affordable housing.
Galveston County sheriff. Incumbent Sheriff Henry Trochesset, a Republican, fended off a challenge from one of his former deputies, DemocratMark Salinas, who called for bringing more accountability and transparency to the agency. Trochesset is focused primarily on retaining staff and beefing up recruitment for the agency.
Fort Bend County
County commissioner. In Precinct 1, Republican incumbent Vincent Morales held a narrow lead over Democrat Jennifer Can
tu, a community activist. In Precinct 3, Republican Andy Meyers is staving off a challenge from Democrat Hope Martin, an Air Force veteran, according to early election-night results.
Precinct 4 constable. With Trever Nehls stepping down to run for sheriff, the contest to succeed him was between Democrat Nabil Shike, who has worked for
the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, and Republican John Hermann, who is currently the chief deputy in Nehls’ office. Shike leads Hermann, according to election-night results. He campaigned on a commitment to community policing, particularly enhancing police responses to children exposed to violence in schools and at home. Hermann, a former Sugar Land police officer, emphasized his law enforcement experience.
Brazoria County
Pearland mayor. Kevin Cole, a real estate developer supported by Republicans, holds a lead over QuentinWiltz, an oil and gas executive who had the support of the state Democratic party. Wiltz and Cole are competing for the parttime position, replacing 95-yearold Mayor Tom Reid, who did not seek re-election this year after serving since 1978 and will step into an emeritus role on Nov. 16. The mayor doesnot get a vote oncouncil decisions except to break a tie, but both candidates sawthe job as a powerful position to advocate for the city and influence change. Cole’s campaign promoted quality-of-life improvements including encouraging local business development, drawing more entertainment and art-based and performance venues to the city and ensuring a generally welcoming environment to a diverse community.
Montgomery County
Conroemayor. Jody Czajkoski, a Conroe City Council member, led recently deceased incumbent Mayor Toby Powell in the city’s mayoral race Tuesday. After Powell died from cancer on Sept. 12, his wife, Vanessa, campaigned in his stead to fulfill his dying wish. If Czajkoski’s lead holds, it will stave off a special election thatwould be open for others to file to run for the seat. Vanessa Powell said she and her husbandwanted voters to have a choice in the election and that was why she was seeking to force the special election.
Czajkoski, who is two years into his first term on the council, has emphasized his experience as a business owner to bolster his qualifications for the position. He has said he wants to rein in Conroe’s growth to maintain its “smalltown quality of life.”
Toby Powell served as mayor pro tem from 2010-12 and was elected as Conroe’smayor in 2016.