Taking over: Local officials sworn into office at City of Katy, Katy ISD, and City of Brookshire

By George Slaughter, News Editor
Posted 5/18/23

The Katy City Council met in a special May 17 meeting to canvass election results for the Ward A council race. In that race, incumbent Janet Corte, a retired IT manager, was re-elected, defeating Cara Bonin, a contractor.

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Taking over: Local officials sworn into office at City of Katy, Katy ISD, and City of Brookshire

Posted

The Katy City Council met in special session May 17 meeting to canvass election results for the Ward A council race. In that race, incumbent Janet Corte, a retired IT manager, was re-elected, defeating Cara Bonin, a contractor.

Corte missed the special meeting and is expected to be sworn in at the regularly scheduled May 22 meeting.

Meanwhile, incumbent Council Member-at-Large Chris Harris and Ward B Council Member Rory Robertson drew no opponents in the election. Their elections were canceled and they were declared elected under city law because they drew no opponents. Both men were sworn in at the May 17 meeting. Harris is a public safety consultant.  Robertson is a financial advisor.

State law requires that local election results be canvassed within a certain number of days after the election, which is why the council held the special meeting.

Katy ISD Board of Trustees

Amy Thieme, Morgan Calhoun and Mary Ellen Cuzela were sworn into as office as members of the Katy ISD Board of Trustees at a May 11 meeting at the district’s Education Support Complex, 6301 S. Stadium Lane.

It is the first election for the three women. Thieme, a realtor, defeated Bruce Bradford, a mortgage loan originator, and Shawn Miller, a professor, to win the position 3 seat vacated by Ashley Vann, who did not seek re-election.

Calhoun, a stay-at-home mom, defeated Cicely Taylor, an education administrator, and Erica Brettell, a stay-at-home mom, to win the position 4 seat vacated by Leah Wilson, who did not seek re-election.

Cuzela, a Katy ISD substitute teacher, defeated Shana Peterson, who is retired, to win the position 5 seat vacated by Greg Schulte, who did not seek re-election.

After the swearing-in, trustees met in executive session to select their officers. Position 1 Trustee Victor Perez was chosen president, Thieme was chosen vice president and Position 7 Trustee Dawn Champagne was chosen secretary.

Brookshire mayor and city council

Mayor Darrell Branch and two aldermen were sworn into office May 11 at Brookshire City Hall, 4029 5th St. in Brookshire.

Branch, a facility manager, defeated former Mayor Eric Scott, who listed himself as unemployed on his campaign form, in a rematch of the 2019 election. Branch was first elected to the mayoralty that year. He was re-elected in 2021.

Tony McAnelly, a retired nonprofit executive, was sworn in as position 2 alderman, defeated Jimmy Sanders, a teacher, who ran as a write-in candidate. Incumbent Lyndon Stamps did not seek re-election.

Position 1 Alderwoman Monique Taylor drew no re-election opponents.

City of Katy, Katy City Council, Katy ISD, Katy ISD Board of Trustees, Brookshire City Council