Q&A: Get to know the two candidates running for Tomball mayor

Why are you running for election?

I am confident I have done a great job as mayor leading this community through times of growth and times of need. We have a community that is excited and engaged. We have more thriving small businesses than ever before, and those business owners are our neighbors, friends and family. The farmers market is a prime example of how we nurture small businesses, watching them grow and enhancing that “mom and pop” feel that makes us unique.

What do you hope to accomplish in your term?

[I hope to] continue the momentum we have with redevelopment of Old Town, seeing the alleyways improved with safe walkable sidewalks. [I hope to] grow our current festival/tourism activities. [I hope to] complete the improvements to Jerry Matheson Park and ensure that hometown feel that makes Tomball special to us all. [I hope to] ensure the quality of life we have all come to know and love continues. I love seeing our kids come back, buy homes, open businesses and raise their families in their hometown.

What do you see as mobility priorities for the city?

The most pressing mobility issue will undoubtedly be the reconstruction of FM 2920/Main Street by [the Texas Department of Transportation]. This will improve not only vehicle but also pedestrian mobility, with a center turn lane and [Americans with Disabilities Act-]accessible sidewalks from Four Corners to Concordia. It will also bring improved utilities and drainage. With any project, there will be some growing pains. We will need to communicate with and listen to our residents and businesses.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the city, and how would you address that?

Rapid growth and planning for the future will be the challenge as we welcome our new neighbors to Tomball. But we have been planning for this growth with needed infrastructure, being roads or drainage. We have taken a focused, conservative approach to our needs, working with Harris County Commissioner [Jack] Cagle and now [Tom] Ramsey, Tomball Economic Development Corp. and the development community to maximize resources and benefit the region.

How do you plan to approach the rapid growth Tomball is experiencing?

We have focused on improving services and building infrastructure that will support our planned and measured growth. We are extremely financially conservative and will continue to follow that philosophy into the future. With growth, safety always becomes a concern. We have exceptional police, fire and public works departments. I plan to continue to support the men and women on the front lines to ensure we are a safe, thriving community.

What would you do specifically as mayor to involve residents and business owners in the city’s decision-making processes?

Communication with residents and businesses is essential to our continued positive growth. We must solicit ideas and try to engage the community, but this is more difficult when people are content and things are going well. Social media has proven valuable in providing quick, easy access to needed feedback. We plan to better coordinate all our platforms for uniform communication. As the [FM] 2920 project progresses, we will have town hall meetings to solicit input.

Why are you running for election?

I want to go in a new direction that preserves the small town feeling in the face of unprecedented growth. Businesses and residents settle in Tomball because of the way it makes them feel. It is these citizens that need to assist in this direction of preserving the past while embracing our future.

What do you hope to accomplish in your term?

With community input, I hope to develop and revisit five-year, 10-year and 15-year measurable plans. I hope to expand and preserve our museums, including holding a discussion on replicating our original city hall as part of our historical Tomball Museum. I hope to investigate a “legacy tree” ordinance. We do not want to restrict people on the use of their land, but instead of cutting down legacy trees, let’s relocate them to our local parks.

What do you see as mobility priorities for the city?

Many of our roads are managed by the state or county; we need to expand our wonderful relationships with them so we can be a part of discussions on roads that affect our town. We need more parking, public restrooms, sidewalks where appropriate and an in-town public transportation shuttle, not the Houston METRO. We also need to investigate red light synchronization on Main Street.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the city, and how would you address that?

The biggest challenge I see is being sure to expand our infrastructure to keep up with residential and commercial demand. Some of this demand is due to the surface water mandate from the state—[the North Harris County Regional Water Authority] is building pipelines to connect to our water supply. We need to establish a city/citizen panel to monitor and report on how this affects our town. Overall, we need to be proactive, not reactive.

How do you plan to approach the rapid growth Tomball is experiencing?

I am not against development since commercial development brings new jobs, and residential development brings new people; however, we must ensure it is responsible development that enhances the vision of our town. We should be sure new development fits the vision of our city and not change the vision to fit new development.

What would you do specifically as mayor to involve residents and business owners in the city's decision-making processes?

We need to invigorate community involvement in special purpose committees. I hope to organize an annual town hall meeting to listen to and discuss the needs of our citizens. We should also establish a Main Street citizen group as well as revisit the downtown committee; these could be valuable voices of business in community planning efforts. We also need to revise our boards and commissions, and establish term limits to help develop the next generation of leaders.