City of Katy - Mayor
Carol Adams
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
I want to work with council to improve transparency, communication, and enhance the effectiveness and productivity of all our departments. To do this, we have to have a plan. Katy has not updated our Comprehensive Plan since 2001. This is a written plan that anticipates our future needs for services and infrastructure, and I want to update it. With input from our department heads, employees, experts and the public, this will tell us what we need to do now and in years to come.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have been dedicated to making Katy better for all of us before and after I was elected to council. I have proven my ability to get things done, including building Katy Heritage Park...and authoring a book about the history of Katy. I have a record of making conservative decisions, listening to residents and putting their ideas into action. I've won numerous awards for the work I've done for Katy, but my main concern is to make sure the Katy we love will be here for many years to come.
Fabol Hughes
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
Working with the City of Houston to expand our extraterritorial jurisdiction to our immediate west and north. Our city has been well run, [but] there is always room for improvement. The city has the resources to effect change that is needed in some areas, while other areas need tightening up. We have tremendous opportunities for commercial and residential growth that [can] double the size of our city. I plan to work with our local organizations to attract businesses that promote family values.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have a can-do attitude and work ethic that has been developed over the 35 years I've been a business owner and manager. I have a lifetime of experience, starting with my days in the U.S. Navy. I believe in surrounding myself with capable people and soliciting their input before making an important decision. I believe in taking a measured approach to solving problems and involving others when necessary. I don't have all the answers, but I do know how to find them.
City of Katy - Special Election: Council member Ward A
Because former Councilwoman Ward A Carol Adams stepped down from her position to run for mayor before her term expired, a Special Election is necessary to fill the vacancy until 2014, when the position will be up for election. Residents of the City of Katy had until April 11 to file for candidacy. The city is divided into two wards, and the council has two members to represent each one. Ward A advocates for the city's southern portion.
Chuck Brawner
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
I want to continue the conservative spending principals that have made Katy a financially secure city, ensure citizens will continue to have superior Police, Fire and EMS service and represent all citizens of the city to make sure their concerns and questions are heard and addressed in a reasonable manner. I offer my 40 years of public safety experience in law enforcement and fire protection to work with the Mayor and Council Members to develop a long-range public safety plan.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Many years of public service to the citizens of Texas and Katy have given me expertise to serve as a city councilman who [will]...provide managed growth of the city. I am the only candidate with fire protection, government budget development and management and public safety planning, as demonstrated in my roles as a police chief, president of Texas Municipal Police Association, Chairman of Governors Juvenile Justice Board, and chairman of the Texas School Safety Center.
Sandra Byrd
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
I want to work with the new mayor and City Council to compete for new businesses within the city while marketing our current businesses. I want to increase employment opportunities for Katy residents by encouraging additional industry near our city. I want to ensure our infrastructure is maintained, and I want to develop a plan to address the demand future growth will be placing on our city services to ensure we do not spread our police and fire protection too thin.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
As a third-generation Katy resident, I remember the traditions and values that make our community so desirable. More than 66 years ago, my grandparents settled in Katy and my family has lived here since. I've watched our community grow from a small rural town along I-10 to one of the most desired areas to live. For me, Katy is more than an address. Katy is home. Change is inevitable, and we need to encourage change that is beneficial for all of Katy.
City of Katy - Council member Ward B
Jimmy Mendez
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
Aside from infrastructure issues, there are already opportunities to reduce the residents' tax burdens without compromising anything. I would like to significantly raise the seniors' homestead exemption and more parking is needed at the Fussell Senior Citizen Center. Katy needs to be proactive towards increasing businesses, as well as getting rid of some of the city's strangling regulations so that we can increase our tax revenue.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
Most of the candidates want to build on our achievements, expand, and revitalize downtown. But our infrastructure is old; most of it was built in the '60s. My street still floods with even the slightest rain. I feel that we need to rebuild a lot of our infrastructure, put fire hydrants in a couple of needed locations, and give our Public Works, Police, Fire, and EMS departments the funding and resources needed for both their safety and ours.
Betsy Proctor
What goals do you have for the City of Katy if elected?
I would like to see Downtown Katy become a real destination. My goals are to see improvements made that are needed downtown, such as public restrooms, street lighting, way-finding signs, and construction of a new City Hall and park. I also want to make it easier for businesses to open in downtown. We should provide immediate support to hire more firemen and support future fire station...We can accomplish these goals and still be fiscally responsible.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have operated a business in Downtown Katy for 20 years and feel the daily pulse of the town. I have heard the concerns, complaints, suggestions and compliments from my local customers and know what they want. Their feedback has helped me formulate a plan to inject new life...while preserving the historical beauty, into downtown. Katy Market Days and other events have taught me the lessons of community organizing and advertising.
Katy ISD - Board of Trustees Position 1
Joe Adams (Incumbent)
What goals do you have for Katy ISD if elected?
The state finance formula has been frozen since 2005-06 and has impacted fast growth districts like Katy. A key goal of the board is to set and enforce policy and to provide a framework for hiring teaching and administrative staff that are top in their fields. In the case of finance, the framework we provide must empower the experts to perform their jobs. Our finance department has done an outstanding job—as noted by our audit firm—of managing district funds and increasing our fund balance. I'm proud to say we continue to improve our performance year after year, and another of my goals would be for us to continue these improvement trends.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
There is no doubt my experience as a board member sets me apart. At a time when five of the seven board members have served less than one term, I provide essential veteran leadership. Through the years I have worked hard to serve the entire district and create an atmosphere in which all students have an opportunity to learn.
Tim Dietz
What goals do you have for Katy ISD if elected?
Transparency. Let's make ourselves available to those in the community that have concerns and/or input about our district. I would also like to build upon the test scores in all of our schools. There should be no reason for any of our schools to be rated as less than "Recognized" or "Exemplary."
What sets you apart from other candidates?
Since this is my first run at school board, I believe I will bring a fresh perspective to the board. I am interested in working with the other board members and the community to impact Katy ISD students in a positive way. My reasons for running have shifted since I started this race. Initially, I wanted to get school bus routes back and while that is still pertinent, there is a another issue that I would like to address—transparency of the board. This is a big concern to people in the community, and I want to make sure the public is informed and involved with what goes on in the district. Call me an idealist, but I believe you should be listening to and representing those who put you in office.
Wayne Dolcefino
What goals do you have for Katy ISD if elected?
I want to evaluate curriculum programs to make sure they are actually helping our children for the money we spend. I want to harness teachers' creativity, and come up with a system so they can feel free to tell us what is working and what is not working in the classroom. Fight for the kids who are not excelling, and fight in Austin for the kids who are but will be punished because they are in an academically competitive school district. Help the board and the administration understand transparency, full disclosure and accountability is not a choice. It is a mandate.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
Voters have a choice. I have not met Joe Adams, but he has been on the school board 20 years and has been president four times. Surely he should understand that it is time for some new ideas. This is not a lifetime job. I have reviewed thousands of education contracts and programs as an investigative reporter and have worked to save taxpayers money and protect children. The motto for my campaign says it all: Our Kids. Our Money. No Secrets.
City of Katy polling locations
Early voting: (8 a.m.–5 p.m., April 29–May 3; 7 a.m.–7 p.m., May 6–7),
- Ward A: Katy Municipal Complex Council Chambers, City Hall, 910 Ave. C,
- Ward B: Katy Municipal Court Building, 5432 Franz Road
Regular voting: (7 a.m.–7 p.m., May 11),
- Ward A and Ward B: Katy Municipal Complex in the City Secretary's Office, 910 Ave. C
Katy ISD polling locations
Early Voting: 7 a.m.–6 p.m., April 29, 30, May 1–7,
- Cinco Ranch High School, 23440 Cinco Ranch Blvd.,
- Taylor High School, 20700 Kingsland Blvd.,
- Wolfe Elementary, 502 Addicks-Howell Road,
- Katy ISD Administration Building, 6301 S. Stadium Lane
Regular Voting: 7 a.m.–7 p.m., May 11,
- Cinco Ranch High School, 23440 Cinco Ranch Blvd.,
- Mayde Creek High School, 19202 Groschke Road,
- Wolfe Elementary, 502 Addicks-Howell Road ,
- Morton Ranch High School, 21000 Franz Road,
- Memorial Parkway Jr. High, 21203 Highland Knolls
Uncontested races
- City of Katy Council member Ward A: Bill Lawton,
- Katy ISD Position 2: Rebecca Fox
