(FORT BEND COUNTY) – When Melissa Wilson decided to run for Fort Bend County Commissioners Court against a more than 30-year incumbent, she knew it would be a challenge, but she says people are ready to move on and see some change.
Wilson is running as a Republican for Commissioners Court Pct. 2, a seat that has been held by Democrat Grady Prestage since 1990.
“Some are saying it’s going to be difficult because of the district and how it has been carved and I am going to have to work hard, and that’s ok – I have been putting in the work and I am confident,” she said. “I think people are ready to move on. They aren’t willing to commit to another 10 or 15 years of the same thing.”
Wilson and her family, Sienna residents, were recently redistricted to Pct. 2, a change that spurred her to put her name on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.
“I watched my district get moved into Pct. 2, and they were basically disenfranchising thousands and thousands of voters,” she said.
Wilson is a commercial and residential real estate agent and owns an insurance company with her husband. She says if elected, one of her priorities would be to build relationships with high-end business owners and developers while also ensuring the county has the infrastructure in place to handle new business and families.
She says much of Fort Bend is comprised of “bedroom” communities, with residents working in Houston, and she would like to see that change.
“I want it to be a community where you can work, play and sleep,” she said.
Wilson also says she wants to ensure that tax money is being spent where it is most needed, and not wasted.
“Why are we calling for tax increases?” she said. “What can we do to reallocate funding from what we don’t need to what we do need?”
This is Wilson’s first campaign as a Republican after leaving the Democratic party in in 2020. That year, after losing in the primary for the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 9, she says she was finding little support in the Democratic party and realized that her platform did not align with theirs.
“I realized when running that I didn’t support many of their ideals at the time,” she said. “That is how I ended up in the Republican party.”
She says regardless of party affiliation, voters are looking for someone relatable.
“I know the community is pretty much tired and ready to move on,” she said. “They just want someone that is going to represent their needs.”
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