CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News)—Roger Lowry, Michael Meihls, Michael Payne and Lyn Sullivan are seeking the Ward B seat on the Katy City Council. The winner will succeed incumbent Rory Robertson, who cannot seek re-election due to term limits. Term of office is three years.
Lowry is retired. Meihls is a business owner. Payne is an IT manager. Sullivan is a graphic designer. Payne is making his second attempt for public office after losing to Mayor Dusty Thiele in 2025. Meihls and Sullivan are first-time candidates.
Early voting is from April 20-28. Election Day is May 2.
1. What in your professional or personal background has prepared you for the responsibilities of serving on the Katy City Council?
LOWRY: I ran for city council in Tulsa about 12, 14 years ago. My experience there moved me to run for city council in Texas.
MEIHLS: For nine years, I've been active in community leadership, including seven as HOA president, making real decisions on budgets, infrastructure, and neighborhood priorities. Professionally, I bring 20 years of manufacturing management experience and now operate my own custom woodworking business in Katy. My career has been built on accountability and problem solving. Having collaborated with city and county leaders on regional infrastructure, I have a clear understanding of how local decisions impact residents and am ready to contribute on day one.
PAYNE: Growing up I've developed Tech & I.T. skills (which are very important to have when a growing number of daily operations and governing decisions depend on it), graduated with an AAS business management degree at HCC in May 2025, and have a rare skill of being brutally honest or telling the truth most of the time (which is sorely missing from politics these days).
SULLIVAN: I have spent my career building and running small businesses, making real-world budgeting decisions, planning, and serving customers. That experience taught me how to prioritize needs, manage resources responsibly, and understand how decisions impact people. Additionally, I have been a community advocate and volunteer for many years, serving in leadership roles on executive boards, advisory boards, and local business and community organizations, where I have worked with others to address issues and find practical solutions that have moved Katy forward.
2. What motivated you to run for Katy City Council, and what do you hope to accomplish during your term?
LOWRY: Well, there's no full-time council members. They all want to be part-time. They believe they're only showing up once a week for meetings. I want to be in all the meetings, plus I want to different businesses and talk to them. I want to try and get new business in Katy.
MEIHLS: After nearly a decade of neighborhood service, stepping up to the city level is the natural next step. With significant council turnover, Katy needs steady, experienced leadership. We've seen how projects like the Katy Hockley and Katy Hockley Cutoff roads can create major disruption when not properly coordinated. I'm running to ensure we plan ahead and get large-scale projects right the first time, reducing resident frustration and protecting our community's quality of life.
PAYNE: What truly opened my eyes was late 2024 with the whole Katy Market Days fiasco, a blatant injustice happening right in our backyard that led me down the rabbit hole of discovering this wasn't a one-off but pattern of behavior by our now-breaking up administration, so I came out of nowhere to challenge Dusty Thiele for mayor, gained a small following and despite everything working against me, gathered 13%/289 votes. Now, one year later after improving community relations and name recognition, I'm back stronger and more confident to win the open Ward B seat.
SULLIVAN: After advocating for change on local issues in Katy, I was challenged to "step up and do something about it." I took that to heart and decided to run for city council. I want to help guide Katy's growth responsibly, ensure decisions are made with transparency and accountability, and give residents a voice while protecting our community and quality of life.
3. If elected, what are your top three priorities for the City of Katy, and how would you work to achieve them as a council member?
LOWRY: Get new business in Katy. Give them a break on their taxes. Maybe get a new red light on Katyland Drive.
MEIHLS: My priorities are managing growth responsibly, improving mobility, and maintaining the high level of city services residents expect. That means encouraging quality development while protecting what people value about Katy, improving traffic flow through better coordination, and making sure our public safety, drainage, and public works departments have the support they need to stay proactive. I approach decisions by digging into the details, asking the right questions, and making sure projects are thought through and done right the first time so they serve residents well long-term.
PAYNE: First: taxation and spending. Since fiscal 2012, the city's budget has nearly quadrupled from about $20 to $78 million (with 2/3 of it occurring since 2020), and over the past five years property tax rates only dropped 2 cents per $100 while valuations exploded. My solution is to propose significant property tax cuts to at least 75% of current rates for most, eliminating for seniors 65+, and demand an independent audit of fiscal 2019-2025. Second: governance. City officials have been making erratic decisions for far too long, so it's time to bring back common sense with transparency, integrity and responsibility in daily decisions, and accountability if things do go wrong. Third: infrastructure. Every so often you'll hear complaints about sediment-mixed water, areas continuing to flood, stretches of road without any or incomplete sidewalks, concerns about potholes or buckling roads, etc. We need to continue investing and shift funding to what's most critical to ensure safety and maintaining quality of life for our residents.
SULLIVAN: As Katy continues to grow, a top priority is ensuring we are making well-informed decisions that reflect the needs of our residents and the long-term health of our city. This includes ensuring clear communication between boards and council to maintain public confidence in city leadership. Improving permitting processes so projects are not delayed by unnecessary challenges is important. Residents and businesses rely on a system that is clear and predictable. Lastly, I will prioritize coordinated planning for mobility through road projects and traffic flow, while considering well-researched, practical solutions that best serve our community.
4. What would you do to encourage downtown commerce and development, and would you support more flexible building codes for historic structures like those in the Rice Dryer District to spur revitalization?
LOWRY: I'm for getting new businesses for Rice Dryer District and all that. I would work with different businesses to make that happen.
MEIHLS: We must continue the momentum in Downtown Katy by strengthening relationships with local entrepreneurs and encouraging them to grow alongside community events. Regarding the Rice Dryer District, I support evaluating sensible code flexibilities on a case-by-case basis, provided public safety isn't compromised. It is vital to preserve our historic structures through responsible redevelopment without creating broad exceptions that could lead to long-term oversight issues.
PAYNE: Reform our failing building/permitting department by evaluating, firing underperforming or problem employees and re-filling positions to highly qualified applicants; And yes, I'd be in support of a balanced approach that prioritizes safety and allowing repurposing/preservation.
SULLIVAN: Supporting downtown commerce starts with making it easier for all businesses across Katy to invest and grow. I will improve permitting efficiency and remove unnecessary barriers that delay projects. I also support reasonable flexibility in building codes for older and historic structures, including those in the Rice Dryer District, so business owners can reinvest while maintaining safety and preserving what makes Katy unique. I have been actively engaged in these discussions and the creation of the Historic Preservation Advisory Group to help develop balanced solutions.
5. What do you want Katy voters to know about you that hasn't come up in these questions?
LOWRY: I always wanted to be a full-time council member, not a part-time council member. I want to work with the police department, the fire department and different businesses.
MEIHLS: Katy is home for my family by choice. We've invested our lives here, opened our home as foster parents, and are currently in the process of adopting our daughter. This experience shapes my approach to leadership—focusing on responsibility, stability, and long-term impact. I am deeply committed to protecting the unique character that makes Katy feel like home for every family.
PAYNE: I'm 24 (almost 25), lived in Katy for 17 years, mildly autistic, and if you'll give me a chance, I'm ready to work hard every day in making Katy the best it can be.
SULLIVAN: I have called Katy home for 40 years, which gives me a deep understanding of this community and the people who make it special. As my children are now grown, I am ready to step forward and serve in a greater capacity. Leadership begins with listening. When issues arise, I step forward, listen, learn the details, and work to be part of the solution. I will continue to do so serving the residents of Ward B.
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