In anticipation of Sugar Land's City Council elections May 6,
Community Impact Newspaper asked the candidates some questions about their plans if elected and what they anticipate for the city's future. District 4 Council Member Harish Jajoo is not running for re-election, and council members Amy Mitchell, Steve Porter and Bridget Yeung are running for re-election unopposed.
See what candidates for District 4—Sean Burnett, vice president of sales, marketing and training at Covia Health; Qaisar Q. Imam, senior project manager at IBM Global Business Services, and Carol McCutcheon, a retired engineer—had to say. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Why are you running for City Council?
Sean Burnett: I am running based on my passionate desire to bring multigenerational ideas to city leadership. I believe our city is among the greatest in the country, and I want to do my part to ensure Sugar Land is prepared for inevitable growth while improving safety, attracting high-quality jobs, supporting local businesses, communicating with our exceptional school districts, [leveraging] technology to improve traffic congestion and balancing our expanding tax base.
Qaisar Q. Imam: I have lived in Sugar Land for almost a decade. My family and I love this city. We are on track to become a world-class city, and I want to do my part. I look forward to working with the mayor and council to bring balanced growth to
keep Sugar Land a great place to live, work, shop and play.
Carol McCutcheon: I am running to be the people’s voice for District 4 and to further enhance the quality of life we enjoy here in Sugar Land.
What are Sugar Land's biggest challenges right now, and what do you think of the current City Council's response to those challenges?
Burnett: Balancing the tax burden across constituencies requires an ongoing effort to attract sales tax revenue sources and commercial property taxpayers while managing the cost of municipal operations efficiently. We must keep our residential property tax rate among the lowest in Texas for a city our size without decreasing quality city services.
In addition, our historically low crime rate must be maintained and even improved. Lastly, we must continue our focus on improving mobility by fighting congestion, traffic, and maintaining our roadways and infrastructure.
Imam: I believe that since we are almost built out, the challenge will be growing our
Qaisar Q. Imam[/caption]
economic base by bringing in responsible corporate entities that will contribute to our tax base and provide jobs for our residents. Because Sugar Land is so easily accessible, I believe that growing our police presence and providing ongoing training to our officers will give our residents the level of safety and well-being they deserve.
McCutcheon: At this time, I think Sugar Land’s biggest challenges are the development of Tract 5 off Hwy. 59 and University Boulevard, annexation of Greatwood and New Territory, and development of the former Central Unit prison site.
How would you, if elected, address those challenges?
Carol McCutcheon[/caption]
Burnett: The key consideration for our voters will be who is most qualified to execute from the District 4 seat. Who understands how to craft a budget, how to affect municipal legislation, how to work with six other elected colleagues, and most importantly, how to listen to residents and represent their wishes through action?
My service to the citizens will be characterized by greater accessibility and more open-mindedness than before. I will use my experience to get work done at this critical juncture.
Sean Burnett[/caption]
Imam: My experiences in
project governance and
the health care field bring a unique perspective that has not recently been addressed. I envision encouraging the city to work proactively with major hospital leadership to identify additional services the city should attract for a holistic dispensation of health care, comparable to the [Texas] Medical Center.
We need to work with higher [education] providers and [Fort Bend] ISD to ensure that they are providing education and training for quality nursing and medical technology jobs.
McCutcheon: My goal is to ensure that, when the Tract 5 [planned development district] is approved, the traffic impact on University and Lexington boulevards and the impact on the adjacent neighborhoods are adequately taken into consideration.
The city of Sugar Land is set to annex Greatwood and New Territory on Dec. 12 of this year. My goal is to help ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible and that the concerns of those living in those areas are heard. Regarding last year’s acquisition of the 258-acre former prison site ... my goal is to help ensure that the development is done as cost-effectively as possible.
Qaisar Q. Imam[/caption]
economic base by bringing in responsible corporate entities that will contribute to our tax base and provide jobs for our residents. Because Sugar Land is so easily accessible, I believe that growing our police presence and providing ongoing training to our officers will give our residents the level of safety and well-being they deserve.
McCutcheon: At this time, I think Sugar Land’s biggest challenges are the development of Tract 5 off Hwy. 59 and University Boulevard, annexation of Greatwood and New Territory, and development of the former Central Unit prison site.
Carol McCutcheon[/caption]
Burnett: The key consideration for our voters will be who is most qualified to execute from the District 4 seat. Who understands how to craft a budget, how to affect municipal legislation, how to work with six other elected colleagues, and most importantly, how to listen to residents and represent their wishes through action?
My service to the citizens will be characterized by greater accessibility and more open-mindedness than before. I will use my experience to get work done at this critical juncture.
Sean Burnett[/caption]
Imam: My experiences in project governance and the health care field bring a unique perspective that has not recently been addressed. I envision encouraging the city to work proactively with major hospital leadership to identify additional services the city should attract for a holistic dispensation of health care, comparable to the [Texas] Medical Center.
We need to work with higher [education] providers and [Fort Bend] ISD to ensure that they are providing education and training for quality nursing and medical technology jobs.
McCutcheon: My goal is to ensure that, when the Tract 5 [planned development district] is approved, the traffic impact on University and Lexington boulevards and the impact on the adjacent neighborhoods are adequately taken into consideration.
The city of Sugar Land is set to annex Greatwood and New Territory on Dec. 12 of this year. My goal is to help ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible and that the concerns of those living in those areas are heard. Regarding last year’s acquisition of the 258-acre former prison site ... my goal is to help ensure that the development is done as cost-effectively as possible.
