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The race for Tomball City Council Position 5 is an unexpired term from Council Member Lori Klein Quinn who stepped down to run for mayor. Two candidates are on the ballot May 7—Randall Parr and Matthew Martinez.
Early voting is from April 25-29 and May 2-3 at City Hall, 401 Market St., Tomball. Election day is May 7 at City Hall.
Candidate responses may have been edited for length, style and clarity.
Why are you running for election?
After serving as the Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator for the city, I want to continue to serve the community. That experience has given me a unique perspective and understanding of the operation of city government.
What do you hope to accomplish in your term, should you be elected?
As this term is filling the vacancy left by Lori Klein Quinn, it is only a one-year term. That said, there are numerous pressing issues to be considered during the next year. Mobility and growth, and the impacts both will have on the city, its residents and its infrastructure need to be discussed and the impacts on those components planned. This must be done in a collaborative manner, not in a vacuum or by only a few people.
What do you see as mobility priorities for the city?
The north/south roadways are in the process of being constructed or improved. However, Persimmon will need significant work between Main Street and Holderreith to serve the east side of the city. The major issues are the east/west thoroughfares with Main Street/FM 2920 being the most pressing. TxDOT is planning to “improve” Main Street/FM 2920 and the community needs to make its desires heard. Also, Medical Complex, at one time, was planned to extend east across Hufsmith-Kohrville and attach to Mahaffey Rd west of FM 2920. I was just made aware those plans have been eliminated.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the city, and how would you address that?
I will pose the biggest challenge facing the city is paying for the cost of maintaining the service delivery systems for emergency services and other population-based services, paying for the cost of expanding the infrastructure and doing so without impacting the current tax rate. This will require applying and matching financial estimates for revenues to be generated, operating costs to be incurred and capital programs to be developed, and the timing of each component, into a complex financial model.
How do you plan to approach the rapid growth Tomball is experiencing?
The city needs a variety of housing offerings ranging from the starter home offerings on smaller lots to the higher priced, estate level, homes on larger lots, as well as those in between. Commercial development will accompany the residential development. The city should not tell a landowner they cannot develop their property, but the city has developed a land use plan that projects the types of development that will generally take place in areas around the city. The plan needs to be revisited, with community input, to determine if it needs to be modified. However, once agreed to by both the community and the elected officials, only minimal modifications should be allowed.
What would you do specifically as a council member to involve residents and business owners in the city’s decision-making process?
The city maintains numerous boards and commissions that seek citizen participation. The meetings are required to be held in an open forum. Tomball does not have a daily newspaper in which to advertise the dates, times and agendas of items of each of these board meetings or workshops, which indicates a better method of communication needs to be developed to ensure everyone is aware of each of the meetings, the agendas and discussion topics.
Why are you running for election?
Elected officials are there to represent the needs, priorities and values of the people who bestowed them with their vote. When they make decisions that run counter to those concerns, we all have two choices—do nothing or work for a change. After a personally unsatisfactory experience with City Council, I realized I must work for change. In this case, we opposed rezoning of property in our backyard. Council voted against us. Their decision on this issue dramatically impacts our quality of life, the value of our property and our peace of mind.
What do you hope to accomplish in your term?
I want change. I want to offer better and more responsive representation. I don’t see that option with the sitting council members, so I will work to be the change this city needs. I’m seeking election to ensure others who feel marginalized by the decisions of this council will have a voice and a vote in the future.
What do you see as mobility priorities for the city?
Traffic congestion and adequate parking in downtown Tomball are huge issues that need to be addressed. TxDOT has proposed raised medians in downtown Tomball. The residents have a lot to say about this and are rightly concerned. … Council needs to be sure those with the most to lose have as loud a voice as those with the most to gain.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the city, and how would you address that?
Council needs to protect and retain the elements that attracted people to Tomball in the first place. Anything new should only be approved if it enhances the quality of life for everyone who lives and works here now. Tomball is growing at a rapid rate. We need more voices helping to plot that path. Now is the time to get involved in our community and as a member of council, I will be there to listen to what voters have to say and try to balance the many competing interests our city has.
How do you plan to approach the rapid growth Tomball is experiencing?
We need to agree on a vision for Tomball. … My vision is more of what makes Tomball such an attractive option to new families and businesses and less of what detracts from quality of life: overdevelopment, mind-numbing traffic and too many people in too small a space. Growth for growth’s sake is not a desirable goal. We must have the conviction to make decisions that are good for the community in the short term as well as in years to come.
What would you do specifically as a council member to involve residents and business owners in the city’s decision-making processes?
I would encourage voters to come to City Council meetings and speak out about issues that concern them or just to see the city government in action. … I would also like to see more town hall meetings on issues important to residents. The Next Door app is a great way to get the community talking about issues but its reach goes well beyond our community. Most importantly, I would listen to concerns and take them as seriously as I wish mine had been.
