Brandt Rydell said he’s never lost sleep over any vote he made in his seven years as Taylor’s mayor.
“You just have to vote with your conscience,” Rydell said. “Take all the information, the best information you have at the time, and cast your vote with all of that in mind. Do it with a clear conscience that you’re doing what you think is the right thing.”
Rydell, who served on Taylor City Council for 12 years and as mayor since 2017, is officially relieved from his duties after not running in the May 4 general election.
At a special called meeting Tuesday, May 14, At-large Councilman Dwayne Ariola was elected as the next mayor by the new collection of council members. Afterwards, the city hosted a reception for Rydell’s departure.
City Manager Brian LaBorde praised Rydell as an “exemplary public servant” through his leadership to Taylor.
“While we will miss him, we are all very thrilled and looking forward to working with Mayor Ariola as he continues to show his unwavering support for staff, proven leadership, compassion, dedication, inspiration and focused vision for a fiscally sustainable and thriving Taylor community,” LaBorde said.
Rydell’s legacy will be remembered in the city for generations to come, the city manager added.
One of the most challenging periods of Rydell’s term was during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
The former mayor said he regularly met with state health officials, but found that residents were not getting the same level of information. So, Rydell began to regularly film Facebook videos to send to the public. In the videos, he cited the latest information he had.
“I got a lot of angry reactions,” Rydell said. “People said (I was) a fear monger … But then I was getting messages from people, not only from Taylor, but around the country and world. Folks from other countries who messaged me and said they had family in Texas and watched the videos to understand what’s going on there.”
Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said his leadership during turbulent times made him a great ambassador for the city and county.
During his term, Gravell and Rydell made multiple trips across the country and to foreign countries in efforts to develop relationships and partnerships.
“It doesn’t matter if you are at the 38th parallel between North and South Korea or whether you are in Austin or Taylor,” Gravell told Rydell. “People know who Brandt Rydell is, and you have been a wonderful picture to the world of what makes Williamson County great.”
Perhaps the most notable move from Taylor during Rydell’s tenure was the addition of Samsung Austin Semiconductor.
The semiconductor is poised to bring thousands of jobs and more sales tax revenue to Taylor once it is fully operational.
Michele Glaze, spokesperson for Samsung Austin Semiconductor, said Rydell was instrumental in developing the partnership between Taylor and the chip-making company.
“From ensuring support for community and civic donations to internships for high school students to generating sales tax revenue to benefit the entire community, Mayor Rydell worked tirelessly to ensure the best for the city of Taylor and the citizens of today and tomorrow,” Glaze said. “That will be his legacy.”
As for what’s next, Rydell said he will continue working as assistant general counsel for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and is excited to spend more time with his family.
