The town swore in Sharma and Martin on Nov. 16 after canvassing the votes cast in the Nov. 3 election.
Both Flower Mound results represented a victory for skeptics of dense residential development.
Sharma’s opponent David Johnson, former chair of the Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commission, had said before the results were finalized that he would accept the loss coming in a close second on Election Day.
“This was a different and unprecedented election for many different reasons,” Sharma said of the race, which was delayed in May because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Similar to my [previous] term, I will continue to honor my commitments and my promises.”
Martin unseated her opponent, incumbent Council Member Claudio Forest, by a roughly 3-to-1 margin in Place 5.
Martin, a critic of dense development, had targeted Forest on the campaign trail for being what she described as too willing to amend the town’s master plan. Forest said he was open to working with developers who want to bring projects to the town and negotiating with them to include new public amenities as part of their work.
For his part, Sharma has said he is a proponent of low-density growth and a low property tax rate. His opponent, Johnson, indicated that he favors a variety of project types, which he said would expand the town’s tax base and enable the town to provide more amenities.
Forest, the sitting council member who was not re-elected, reflected on his time in local office.
“As I leave, I only ask that this council and future councils use the same logic and do what’s right for the entire town,” Forest said before leaving the council dais for the last time. “I firmly believe that I tried to do that, and I hope I did a good job.”
Among other upcoming decisions, the council is searching for the next town manager.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that David Johnson, who serves on the Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commission, is no longer the chair of that body.
