The Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a political forum Tuedsay for candidates running for Harker Heights City Council.
Scheduled from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., the forum will take place at the Harker Heights Activities Center, 400 Indian Trail.
All candidates have confirmed their participation, to include Place 2 incumbent Stacey Wilson and challenger Shane Hodyniak. Also attending will be Place 5 incumbent Sam Halabi and challengers D. Michael Jones and Brianna Harrellson.
Both seats hold three-year terms. Council members are limited by the city charter to two consecutive terms.
Wilson, the incumbent in Place 2, defeated Hal Schiffman in a runoff last year to secure the Place 2 seat. She is a government contractor, and involved in many entrepreneureal ventures throughout the community.
She received a bachelor of arts in communications from Kent State University and holds a master’s in counseling and executive leadership from Liberty University.
Hodyniak, a six-year U.S. Army veteran, served in Iraq and was part of the Military Police. He serves as vice president for Complete Efficiency Services, Inc., a family-owned business in Killeen. This is Hodyniak’s second bid for the Place 2 seat. He was also a candidate in the race to replace Michael Blomquist last May when Blomquist ran for mayor.
Halabi, a business owner in the Harker Heights and surrounding area, was elected to serve in June 2021, defeating Wilson in a runoff election for the Place 5 seat.
He and his wife own two full-service event venues and a specialty restaurant in the area. Halabi has served in the post since June 2021, when he defeated Wilson in a runoff.
Jones, a retired pastor, was a candidate for the mayor’s post in May, finishing second.
Harrellson is a homemaker; this is her first try for elected office.
Early voting begins April 22 and continues through April 30.
