Former Bellaire mayor Cindy Siegel signals 7th district run, resigns Metro seat

Former Bellaire Mayor Cindy Siegel, shown here in 2012 as she was about to leave office, announced Monday she was planning to run for Congress, presumably for the 7th District seat in Houston. Former Bellaire Mayor Cindy Siegel, shown here in 2012 as she was about to leave office, announced Monday she was planning to run for Congress, presumably for the 7th District seat in Houston. Photo: R. Clayton McKee, Freelance / For The Chronicle Photo: R. Clayton McKee, Freelance / For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Former Bellaire mayor Cindy Siegel signals 7th district run, resigns Metro seat 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The Houston-area Congressional seat that drew the most attention during the 2018 cycle is primed for a redo in 2020, with candidates lining up roughly 19 months away from election day.

Late Monday, former Bellaire mayor Cindy Siegel resigned from the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, effectively immediately, saying she was mounting a run, presumably for the 7th District seat that includes Bellaire and much of western Houston. She’s the second Republican to announce intentions for the seat in Congress.

Siegel did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday morning.

She led Bellaire from 2004 to 2012, after six years on city council. The career accountant was credited with helping the city upgrade core services such as streets and drainage, even during the national recession. The city also focused on quality of life issues, improving or adding parks and other amenities.

City politics, however, pales in comparison to what could be another blistering district battle. The 7th District seat was among the fiercest fought last year, when Rep. Lizzie Panhill Fletcher unseated John Culberson. It was one of two Congressional slots from Texas that flipped from Republicans to Democrats as part of a power change in the House of Representatives.

It did not come cheaply, however. Combined, Fletcher and Culberson spent $9.6 million on the campaign. Both also faced primary challengers, with Fletcher coming out atop an eight-person field of Democrats looking to unseat Culberson.

Now less than 90 after moving into her Washington, D.C. offices, opponents are lining up to challenge Fletcher in November 2020. Last week, Army veteran Wesley Hunt said he would enter the race.

Meanwhile, Fletcher’s campaign announced Monday that she raised about $515,000 in the first quarter of 2019, giving the campaign about $550,000 cash on hand.

Reporter Jasper Scherer contributed to this story.

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