Edna residents to decide District 2

By Jessica Coleman Staff Writer     On May 1, residents of District 2 in Edna will vote to decide whether incumbent Wayne Callis will continue to represent them on the City Council, or if challenger Shanna Brooks will take the seat.     

Brooks, whose campaign slogan is “Time for a Change,” is an Edna resident, Army veteran and college graduate with a degree in business management. She grew up in San Antonio and moved to Edna to be with family.     

Brooks is involved in the community as President of the Edna Juneteenth organization as well as a member of the Housing Authority, both of which she believes have prepared her to serve Edna as a council member.     

She said that her motivation to run for city council came from talking to her fellow citizens and hearing their concerns about infrastructure and maintenance in District 2     

“A lot of people that come up to me, they complain about the roads,” she said. “They also complain about the drainage and the ditches.”     

She also hopes to allocate city resources to new youth-oriented initiatives like after school programs, as well as programs for senior citizens.     

Incumbent Wayne Callis is a U.S. Army veteran and has served on the city council for three terms. He also serves as Mayor Pro tempore.     

He has spent the last six years focused on saving the city money and advocating for necessary changes in his district. Drainage, he said, is on the agenda but in a small town like Edna, it takes time and money to get everything done.   

Callis, a retiree born and raised in Edna, and graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Edna in 1965. He attended Wharton County Junior College prior to his military service. He married his wife Johnell in 1967 and they have two children and two grandchildren.     

He believes that his record speaks for itself and shows that is unafraid to have difficult conversations if the outcome could benefit the community he serves. Callis famously made the motion to disband the Edna Fire Department and rely solely on Jackson County Emergency Services. It was  a decision by the council that was unpopular among first responders, but one that Callis stands by and believes was beneficial to the community as a whole.     

“That saved the city about a million dollars,” he said.     

Callis said he enjoys being a community leader and he hopes to represent District 2 for years to come.     

Elections are on Saturday, May 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.