Gulfport Ward 2 runoff set for June 30: Bryan Caldwell, Ron Ruland advance
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- It’s going to a runoff. The race for the Gulfport City Council Ward 2 seat is not over since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote during Tuesday’s election.
On that runoff ballot: Bryan Caldwell and Ron Ruland.
Caldwell and Ruland now have less than three weeks to get back out into the community and convince the residents of Ward 2 to vote for them.
Both candidates agree that issues such as public safety, infrastructure, and economic development are important, but they each have different reasons for wanting to run.
After decades of serving as a teacher, coach, principal, and athletic director in the Gulfport School District, Caldwell says now he wants to serve his neighbors. A career serving the public, leading institutions, managing budgets, and building consensus is what he says he will bring to the Gulfport City Council.
Ruland is the director of food operations at Island View Casino. In that role, he’s responsible for making decisions that he says impact people, operation, and financial performance. He says those same skills are needed on the city council. Ruland says he is running because he wants to help ensure Gulfport remains a great place to live, work, grow a business, and raise a family.
Caldwell said, “I’m not in favor of raising taxes. I’ve heard no appetite for that in Ward 2, and that is something that I would not support under any circumstances. We have to grow our economic pie through responsible economic growth. There are some great things going on in Ward 2 right now. Channel South is under construction. The Markham is open. We have two other hotels coming online. The Downtowner is open and thriving. So, there’s a lot of good things going on. I want to remind people of that, and let them know that I’m going to fight for them, especially when it comes to their concerns, such as infrastructure needs, especially water and drainage.”
Ruland said, “So, we had a strategy meeting, my campaign manager and some of my volunteers, and we are continuing to get out and knock on doors and meet with our supporters. We just want people to come out and make sure they vote on June 30. if you want transparency, accountability from a local business leader that’s been doing this with consistency for over 25 years, you should vote for me on June 30.”
The runoff election is set for June 30. To learn more about Ruland and Caldwell, visit their campaign websites. Bryan Caldwell’s website can be found here. Ron Ruland’s website can be found here.
