Bryant Wins Runoff For ACC Board Seat

By Julie Chang – American-Statesman Staff

Gigi Edwards Bryant beat Jade Chang Sheppard for a spot on the Austin Community College board in a Tuesday runoff election.

Bryant, 57, won 54 percent of the 58,037 votes cast in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Lee counties.

A board member for the ACC Foundation, which raises money for scholarships, Bryant has promised to do more to recruit more international students and to bring more attention to the emergency aid that the foundation offers to cash strapped students.

“I think that people realized that I am committed to Texas,” Bryant said. “I just want to make sure ACC is affordable, accessible and remains one of the best colleges for students.”

Bryant has said that she would support bringing another tax cap election to voters as early as 2016 after such a proposal failed in November. It would have raised the tax rate by about $10 per $100,000 in property value each in fiscal years 2016, 2018 and 2020, helping to stabilize tuition and pay for facilities and programs. Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman