Voters heading to the polls [The Eagle, Bryan, Texas]

Nov. 05--Today is Election Day, and voters will be selecting representatives for key local positions, including Bryan mayor.

There were 3,542 early votes cast, and the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

Incumbent Jason Bienski and challenger Mike Southerland are vying for the Bryan mayoral seat. Bienski, 43, has served as mayor for the past two years and was the councilman for Place 3 prior to that. He is a real estate agent for BCR. Southerland served two terms as the Place 6 at-large councilman in Bryan prior to being forced out by term limits in 2012. Southerland is retired and spent 22 years in the U.S. Army before working in insurance.

Other local city races on the Nov. 5 ballot:

--Single-Member District 1 Bryan City Council: Incumbent Richard Cortez and challenger Al Saenz are the two candidates for this single-member district seat. Only voters from within the district, which comprises the western and downtown areas of Bryan, can vote for this representative. Cortez has served for the past three-and-a-half years, and Saenz served for the three years prior to losing to Cortez by one vote.

--Single-Member District 2 Bryan City Council: Current Councilman Paul Madison can't run for re-election because of term limits, and three newcomer candidates -- Rafael Pena III, Perry Stephney and Kevin Davenport -- are vying for the spot to represent the city's north side. Only voters in District 2 can vote for this council representative.

--Place 2 College Station City Council: Councilman Jess Fields is not seeking re-election, and Steven Aldrich and Gary Ives are the candidates for the spot. The seat is at-large, and all residents of College Station can vote on the race.

School board races in Bryan and College Station:

--College Station School Board Place 3: Michael Wesson, Ben Roper and John Fedora are vying for the Place 3 position. Only residents of District 3 can cast votes in this race.

--Bryan School Board Single-Member District 5: William T. "Trey" Moore III and Josh Smith are the two candidates for the spot. Only residents in District 5 can cast votes in this race.

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