CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Early voting began Tuesday in the Ward A special city council election between Paula Taylor, a Katy High School teacher, and Cara Bonin, a contractor.
This is Taylor's first run for public office. Bonin ran, but lost, her bid against the other Ward A council member, Janet Corte, in 2023. The two previously met in a Jan. 8 candidate forum sponsored by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.
Read more about the candidates here.
They are running to replace incumbent Dan Smith, who is resigning to seek the Republican nomination for Waller County Precinct 4 commissioner against Waller County Fire Marshal and Katy resident Brian Cantrell.
Smith's resignation from the council takes effect when either Taylor or Bonin is sworn into office.
Special election voting information
Early voting in the special election is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 20-24 and Jan. 26-27 at the Katy Civic Center, 910 Avenue C.
Regular voting is set for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at the civic center.
Voters wishing to verify their ward before voting can do so at the city website.
Candidates filing to run in May regular election
The special election is the first of four council races Katy voters will decide this year. Seats held by Corte, Ward B Council Member Rory Robertson and Council Member-at-Large Chris Harris are all open in the May 2 general election. Corte, Harris and Robertson cannot seek re-election due to term limits.
Filing for the regular election began Jan. 14. The deadline for filing is Feb. 13. At present, all three races will be contested. Here's a list of who has filed as of Tuesday evening:
- Council Member-at-Large: Paul Follis, a former Alief ISD and Houston Police officer, and Arbra Bailey II, a graduate student, have filed to run.
- Ward A: J.R. Richardson II, an account manager with Fidium Fiber, and Johnston Dietz, an operations manager at JDR Cable Systems, have filed to run.
- Ward B: Michael Payne, an IT manager; Michael D. Meihls Jr., a business owner; and Lyn Sullivan, a graphic designer, have filed to run. Payne is making his second attempt for public office after losing to Mayor Dusty Thiele in 2024.
Former Ward B Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Durran Dowdle has announced his intention to run for council, but had not decided whether to seek the Ward B or at-large seat.
Another would-be candidate, Chris Sword, a pool cleaner, had announced his intention to run but said Wednesday morning that he would not run, citing family health concerns.