Gladewater native gets ready to put in the work on city council

André Clay isn’t taking a seat at the Gladewater City Council dais with any particular agenda in mind.
“I’m just going to get in there and do what I need to do.”
The Gladewater native’s place is secure this week after previous contender Teddy Sorrells opted not to pursue his bid for outgoing councilman Michael Webber’s Place 2 spot. With no contested races on the ballot, the council will soon cancel their part in Spring 2026 polling.
It means Clay will join the city’s elected officials in mid-May alongside returning Mayor Brandy Flanagan and councilman Stoney Stone, who begins his second term in Place 3.
“I hope to be a good asset to the already good team that they have,” Clay said Monday.
Born and raised here, he graduated Gladewater High School in the early ’90s and continued his education at Iowa Wesleyan University. He moved to Houston upon graduation and spent 23 years there.
“I moved back here nine years ago,” Clay said, alongside his wife of 30 years, Jill. The pair have three sons, six grandkids. “By trade, I’m an insurance adjuster.”
Clay says he’s had an interest in local office in the past, but there were too many other things going on – in addition to his involvement with Little League Football, Clay is an active member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and its Sigma Omicron chapter out of Tyler.
“A lot of my civic duties and services is geared to that,” he said. “We raise money for scholarships for youth and other things of that nature. A lot of services projects – we clean up roads in Tyler. I’d like to see more of that come to Gladewater.”
As Clay sees it, he’s joining an active team already at work here, and he’s ready to get up to speed from a front-row seat.
“I did a lot of looking behind the scenes,” Clay said, monitoring council meetings through livestreams. He’s familiar with current officeholders, but Clay admits he’s not 100 percent on current issues.
That’s the task ahead.
“I’m very excited to get more insight and learn more of the civic responsibility that goes along with the city,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you I’m well-versed with a lot of things going on right now, but I’m a quick learner.
“The only philosophical point I have is that service to others is what we pay for our time here on Earth. You’ve got to put in the work. That’s just what it is.”
Clay’s eager to put in the work, doing what he can to help a small town and its small businesses.
“There’s a lot of things that drive small business. You have to touch people’s hearts to get them to get on board with you and get effort. Once you get effort, you get support,” he said. “We don’t get that many votes when we have elections; that’s one thing I would like to see, that everyone has a better understanding of the civic process. That’s a part of getting out there and touching people.
“I believe in being serious, but I believe in fun and getting it done.”