HTX-BMW: Impact 11/5/2025

Two candidates are vying for the Bellaire City Council, Position 3 seat in the Nov. 4 election. 

Meet the candidates: Ross Gordon, the incumbent, was first elected to City Council in November 2021. He served on Bellaire’s Planning & Zoning Commission from 2017 to 2021 as chairman. Gordon is also a licensed professional engineer and certified floodplain manager.

Gordon’s opponent, Kevin Newman, is currently serving as the chief operating officer at Maverick Wrecker Design and Repair, an auto repair shop in Houston. He has served as the former vice chair of Bellaire Living Information Fun and Enrichment, Friends of the Bellaire Library and is the founder of the Bellaire Small Business Association.

Council members serve a four-year term from Jan. 5, 2026, to Jan. 7, 2030.

A brand-new play structure designed for children ages 2 to 5 years old is now open at Bellaire's Lafayette Park.

Quote of note: Bellaire's Parks and Recreation Director Ryan Smith said in an Oct. 31 news release that the project was completed in partnership with the local nonprofit PATRONS for Bellaire.

“We are thrilled to work alongside PATRONS for Bellaire Parks to bring this much-needed addition to Lafayette Park,” Smith said. “This project is a great example of what we can accomplish when the city and our community partners come together to support our youngest residents.”

What to expect: According to city officials, the new play structure features age-appropriate equipment that encourages physical activity, imaginative play and social interaction for toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Fifteen candidates are running for Houston City Council, At-Large Position 4 during the Nov. 4 election. 

Something to note: Houston city council members are limited to serving two terms of four years each, with each term beginning on Jan. 2. Only five members are elected At-Large, or city-wide, while the other 11 are elected to serve geographic districts.

Sixteen candidates—including five Republicans, seven Democrats, three independent candidates and one Green Party candidate—are running for U.S. House of Representatives District 18 in the Nov. 4 election. 

Some context: As previously reported by Community Impact, a special election is being held to fill the vacant seat after incumbent Sylvester Turner, who also previously served as Houston mayor, died in March. In November 2024, Turner was elected to the vacant seat after former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died in July 2024.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected for a two-year term with no term limits. District 18 covers portions of north and central Houston.

Stay tuned: If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election for the top two vote-getters will be held in January, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth confirmed Nov. 4. 

As of press time, all 17 constitutional amendments on the Texas ballot were poised to become law. The state propositions with the most support would either expand property tax exemptions or prohibit new taxes, while voters also favored measures aimed at funding infrastructure and research.

The overview: Some of the state propositions on the ballot included:

• Proposition 1: new funding to support the Texas State Technical College System
• Proposition 3: tighter restrictions on when Texas judges can grant bail for felony offenses
• Proposition 4: $20 billion for water supply projects and infrastructure
• Proposition 9: a $125,000 property tax exemption for businesses
• Propositions 11 and 13: expanded property tax exemptions for Texas homeowners
• Proposition 14: $3 billion to create a state dementia research institute