BRYAN, Texas — Nicole Gallucci moved to College Station roughly seven years ago and said she quickly sought to serve the needs of the community. She is running for the Place 5 on the College Station City Council against Bob Yancy and Willie Blackmon.
We interviewed Gallucci at Polite Coffee in Bryan where she said that she wants to be a voice for those who haven't felt heard in city decisions.
Question:
"What drew you to this area?"
Answer:
"I lived, for a while, in DFW, and I really appreciated the metropolitan life but after graduation I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. My siblings, once again, tying back to Aggies were currently attending school at Texas A&M and said, 'You know Nicole, why don't you come give it a try....' Needless to say, the first week of me coming down here, I was like, 'Okay, let's relocate, time for something new."
Question:
"What made you decide to run for office?"
Answer:
"I have been working behind the scenes as a servant of the community for quite a while. I have always had a passion for that. I've worked with the League of Women Voters. I've worked with Sierra Coalition, and amnesty.com, but I thought well if I want to see some change then I have to get out there and do it."
Question:
"What change do you want to see?"
Answer:
"I would like to see a better balance when it comes to representation. This is a community that is built upon a college. We love our college students. I've been there, I've done that, but with the direction that development and real estate is going, I think we need to keep our eyes on the big goal which is universal growth. Accommodate students as well as family and faculty."
Question:
"College Station, over the years, has seen job growth, student growth, and you've seen a lot of people come to this area. If you were elected, what would you want to see change or expand?"
Answer:
"To be quite clear, the housing here is unaffordable and that's because we have handed over too much to these...I don't want to call them Aggie shacks...this college housing. We've gotten ourselves into a dilemma where we don't have enough students to fill these college houses and that's going to retract on your return of investment. It's going to bring down your property values; whereas, if we do a better job of planning, we can bring in more diverse businesses."
Question:
"What makes you stand out as a candidate people should look out for?"
Answer:
"In my time of service, I do connect with certain demographics and communities that...I won't go so far as to say they feel forgotten...they feel like their voices aren't being heard."
Question:
"Who do you feel like isn't being heard in College Station?"
Answer:
"There are individuals of lower-income that feel like they are being pushed. Once again, it goes back to your essential workers over at the college who have been pushed over outward, and I think that there is a particular topic where all of us on the council would agree. For that matter, work with Bryan to improve our public transportation system."
Question:
"Are you willing to work with the other councilmembers to accomplish a common goal for the betterment of your area?"
Answer:
"Oh yes, definitely that is something I've grown to appreciate now that I've grown to understand how local government works. Especially in a smaller and growing town, there is a willingness, not even a willingness...but an encouragement to work for the common good of the town and the people."
If you'd like to learn more about Gallucci, you can visit her campaign page here.