In May, the ballot for Pilot Point residents will be packed thanks to four contested positions on council, including the mayoral seat.
Incumbent Elisa Beasley will face current Place 5 council member Chad Major.
Beasley, who moved to town in 2009 before leaving for Prosper and returning in 2021, was not available for interview but answered questions about her desire to retain her seat via email.
“Because of my previous work in politics, serving in the Texas Senate [as Pat Fallon’s communications director], I have built relationships that have served to help us as a city move things forward,” Beasley said. “One example is when I was first elected Mayor, we were able to get a development that was set on using a MUD for their development to move to a PID/TIRZ. These are all financing tools for big developments and MUDs are very difficult for cities.”
She addressed the contention both online and in the council chambers that the community faces.
“We serve the people first,” Beasley said. “If there has been contention, it has been over the difference of philosophy in how open to be. We serve the community. They are the bosses. I hope to continue to work to build confidence in Pilot Point knowing we serve them.”
Prior to her current service as mayor, Beasley was a member of Planning and Zoning and a member of the city council from 2014-18 before she moved.
Major came to Pilot Point in retirement four years ago.
A petroleum engineer by trade before his retirement, Major sat on a community interest board in Oak Point as well as in Place 3 for the Pilot Point council prior to his current position.
“Many citizens approached me about running for mayor, and I understand our citizens want a leader who will bring people together and get things done,” Major said. “It’s critical that we elect someone who will collaborate to tackle the biggest issues facing Pilot Point like our infrastructure, drainage, road repairs, water supply and sustainability while preserving our history and sense of community.”
Regarding the council’s current internal issues and frayed community trust, Major said the solution starts at the dais.
“When leaders put politics aside and focus on the community, real progress happens,” Major said. “A lot of that has to with how we carry ourselves. If our leaders are negative and divisive, our community will follow suit. People need to see that we’re all about doing the business of Pilot Point and not infighting.'
He focused largely on the value of a plan that reflects the desires of residents for the community, which he said is reflected in the master plan set the council has been working on.
Two new candidates vie for Place 4, held by Elizabeth Jones.
Kelley Burgess, a teacher at Aubrey ISD, is approaching five years of residence in the area and cited her lack of municipal experience as a positive in her potential value as a council member.
“I’m coming into it with life experience, maturity, age and professionalism, but have I made decisions for a city before or a committee that contributes to a city, I haven't, and that’s a good thing,” Burgess said. “I feel it’s no different from a school board. You don’t want a group of teachers; you want to have a variety of people from the community who have completely different backgrounds.”
Though new to local government as a politician, Burgess interacted with the city starting in March 2024 when she filed a petition to unseat Jones.
“I don’t think you have a right to complain unless you get involved,” Burgess said. “I realized I had something to contribute to the city. What you have to be is a good listener and analyze complex situations, ... and I think I would be good at that.”
Brian Murrell moved from Dallas to Pilot Point in 2022, currently sits on the Board of Adjustments for the city and owns BNT Financial, a life and health insurance agency that helps business owners “come up with an exit plan for when they retire,” he said.
“I was in the military, so I’m big on leadership and service,” Murrell said. “I was asked [by several citizens] to serve and just like in the military, when someone asks me to serve, I serve. It’s just in my nature.”
Murrell explained he’s focused on building and using relationships to better the community from his potential seat.
“I believe in relationships— relationships with developers, with the community, with the dais itself,” Murrell said. “We all have to have proper relationships in order to get things moving forward. We can’t have this infighting. We want to bring good businesses and companies to the area, not just developers chopping up our land and dividing it up for their profits.”
Place 5, which Major is vacating to run for mayor, is also contested by two candidates, Brian Ingram and Mike Wilson.
Ingram is a 46-year-area resident and 30-year firefighter, currently a captain, who was appointed to council in 2020 to finish a vacated term on Place 2.
“If you’re going to serve and lead people, you have to be able to listen and humble yourself enough to be able to admit when you’re wrong and come up with a plan … so that doesn’t happen again,” Ingram said. “My belief is that if you have good leadership, all that other stuff takes care of itself.”
Ingram listed safety, security, infrastructure, and transparency and accountability as among his primary points of focus, saying the latter is attained through communication despite opinion.
“If your community is not safe and secure, no one is going to live there,” Ingram said. “That would be my number one goal for the town. That means a good police and fire department, a good water system, you’ve got to have good roads, and good infrastructure— all those things tie together.”
A retired teacher and district administra-tor
for Valley View ISD, Wilson moved to Pilot Point in 2018.
“The more I saw the rhetoric on social media, it led me to decide it’s time for me to throw my hat in the ring and try to do my part to bring some civility and positivity to the council and city,' Wilson said.
Wilson has a wide birth of experience in local government from six years on the Valley View City Council, two years on the Texoma Planning and Zoning commission, three years on the Pilot Point P&Z, and time as the president of the Texas Association of Sports Officials basketball division.
“Being on those kinds of boards, you have to be able to take in information, hear people opinions on both sides and try to make the right decision,” Wilson said. “For Pilot Point, I’ve got to be able to make the right vote for what’s best for the city and for the majority of the citizens.”
Place 6 is held by Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Ambrosio, who faces two challengers—Steven Birkelbach and Blake Hampton.
Ambrosio, an international transportation broker who moved to Pilot Point in 2020, holds Place 6, and he also sits on the Pilot Point Municipal Development District board of directors.
“I’ve always had to pay attention to contracts and contract negotiation,” Ambrosio said. “That’s basically what you’re doing on council. My experience in reading those contracts and knowing where to look has really helped me not only find red flags but good deals.”
He explained his focus is on ensuring citizens get the best out of the independent land deals happening all around the city despite the lack of power council have under current legislation.
“When a developer comes to the city and they’re in the ETJ or out of city limits, they can really develop whatever they want, so the goal is to get a development agreement,” Ambrosio said. “The issue we’re running into is there is a give and take. We don’t want to give too much up, but we have to incentivize the builder to move into the city limits so we’re able to put that agreement in place.”
Birkelbach, an electrical contractor, moved to Pilot Point in 2017 and has not previously held any city council or municipal board positions. He has however been active online and vocal in meetings, speaking about the state of municipal affairs for the last three years.
“The city of Pilot Point was shoved down my throat three years ago,” Birkelbach said. “I didn’t know who the mayor, city manager or chief of police were. I was on the outskirts of town minding my own business when my neighbor, who is a city council woman, wound up trying to control my property. She weaponized the city against me, and I got fully involved in city politics at that point.”
He cited his profession as a point of engagement, keeping him close to the community and helping him “know more what the people want,” as he’s interacting with them daily.
“The city of Pilot Point has a bad problem right now— the checks and balances aren’t there,” Birkelbach said. “I see a city manager running the city council and a city council running over the citizens, and it should be absolutely backwards to that.”
Hampton, who has lived in Pilot Point for going on three years, is a senior assistant manager for Discount Tire, has no prior board or council experience and believes he can bring “a youthful voice” to the dais.
“In current politics, the youth, under 40 or so, is kind of forgotten about because they are too busy living life, too busy working and too busy raising kids, but that shouldn’t deny us a voice,” Hampton said. “I’m in my late 20s, building a family, and if we can continue to attract more people my age, that’s more people to pay taxes, more money into our school districts.”
He cited his own efforts to educate himself and stay appraised of what’s happening in the community as a reason for running.
“As citizens, we only get what’s being presented at the city council meetings,” Hampton said. “There is a lot more happening behind the scenes. I’m trying to dive into it and have to go through 15-20 different web pages to get the answer I’m looking for. Let’s not have to do that.”
Early voting for the May 3 election begins April 22 and runs until April 29. Polls will be located at the Pilot Point Senior Center, 310 S. Washington St.
