Do you think The Woodlands should become a city or remain unincorporated? Why or why not (what are some of the pro's and cons)?  And if so, when should incorporation occur and why in that time frame? 

I beieve that the only way to protect the "hometown" feel of The Woodlands is incorporate and take control of our geography.  In many ways, my personal view favoring incorporation really isn't all that germane to the argument. The Woodlands Board of Directors cannot vote to incorporate. The Board can only vote to place the matter on the ballot where the residents will decide the question of future governance and the maximum tax rate for the first five years for the new City. In 2016 when I was elected for the first time, the community rejected the anti-incorporation rhetoric from the "Concerned Taxpayers of The Woodlands, and elected three new directors (and Gordy Bunch) that all favored exploring the ramifications and costs of potential incorporation.  We are nearly finished with almost two years of work that has studied every facet of the cost and processes necessary to put the issue in front of the voters.  The COVID pandemic restrictions caused us to put our original timetable on hold.  Had this been a normal summer, I think it would have been very likely that the issue would have been on the ballot this November.

What are the three main attributes that make you the most qualified for this position?

Stong financial skills - At British Airways, I routinely compliled Station budgets over $10m annually, as Director Properies, the Americas I was compliling and managing yearly budgets of over 125m GBP.  I was chosen by the Chairman to Chair the newly created Budget Taskforce for my proven skills as a business person.

Conservative, independent, thoughtful, leadership.  Over the past 4 years, my peers have selected me the Chairmanship of the Visit The Woodlands Board, to Chair the Drainage Task Force, and to the Vice-Chairmanship of the Township Board of Directors. My fellow Directors have faith in me to lead and to get things done.

Inovative thinker.  Not afraid to take calculated risks or suggest un-orthodox ways to solve problems.  I have transformed Visit The Woodlands from an event planning organization and turned them into an award winning, world class marketing company, that promotes and facilitates the economic engine of The Woodlands.

Are you in favor of allowing the residents to vote on the incorporation question once the incorporation planning process is complete? Why or why not?

It is clear that the residents want a say on incorporation.  I am strongly in favor of placing this item on the ballot for an up or down vote by the community. I personally believe that our well-educated voters are fully capable of making the decision of how they wish to be governed. To deny them that opportunity only benefits the development community and their related vendors.

Should board members actively engage with other government entities to fight to reduce burdens placed on them by other taxing entities?

I am happy to provide my personal opinion as a taxpayer on the tax policy of other taxing jurisdictions, but not as a Township Director for the same reason that I don't think the Board should take formal possitions on bond issues or taxing policies of entities other than The Township.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Economic Development Partnerships?

Property tax abatements are a good thing when used strategically and the stipulations of the contract are monitored and enforced.  They can be great tools for providing new jobs and new commercial assets that help grow our tax base.  Ironically, two of the last three tax abatements granted by the Township have actually been recovered when the original entities were aquired in coporate mergers (Chicago Bridge and Iron, and Annadarko).  Another interesting point regarding tax abatements, we were the only County taxing authority to insist on the return of our tax dollars when Occidental Petroleum failed to live up the conditions in the agreement regarding the number of jobs that they were providing.  The County and WRUD1 did not.  I was the lone vote on the WRUD1 to recover our funds, the abatement was modified on a vote of 6-1.

Are you familiar with the FTA grant requirements that enable Federal Funding for the Park and RIde and Trolley services? Would you try to modify those agreements? Why or why not?

I am familiar with the FTA transportaion grants.  The formula for re-imbursement is set by the FTA and we cannot amend them.  I don't know if you are aware, but the Woodlands Waterway was constructed with Federal Grant money, and as a condition of the bonds we are required to maintain the trolley service on the transportaion corridor that runs along the Waterway.  If we were to terminate the service, the bonds could go into default.  We are looking at alternatives to the current trolley services, but until the bonds are paid off some sort of shuttle service will need to be maintained.

As a representative of a Top Rated Master Planned Community, what are the challenges you see with balancing the expected ammenities and the increasing costs with property taxes associated with them?

The only way to continue to provide the expected ammenities without impacting property tax rates is through expansion of our sales tax revenues and to monitor and adjust user fees to offset the cost of many of the Parks and Recreation offered programs.  At some point in the very near future we are going to have to face the fact that the tax rate cannot decline forever.  Next year's rate will be less than half of what the Community Associations were collecting in 2009 and those homeowner association levies were not tax deductible. Just remember that Senate bill 2 only allows the tax rate to grow at 3.5% of the M&O portion of the tax rate which is currently about $0.20, 3.5% of that is $0.007 without a referendum.

What are your thoughts regarding the 2020 Preliminary budget ?  Do your support it in full and if not what do you object to?"

I think you mean the 2021 Preliminary Budget.  Yes, I do support the budget as it currently constituted.  I expect the budget will pass, and that we will adopt the Effective Tax rate, estimated to be $0.213/$100 valuation.  This will be the lowest property tax rate in the history of The Township.  There are always aspects of the budget that I am not fully in agreement with, however it is process that works by majority vote of the full Board.  I am sure there some things in the budget that I wanted that others members of the Board may disagree with.

Should the economic development reserve fund serve as a general fund, to go to multiple projects such as ice-rinks, museums, buildings, street repairs etc. or should it be a project specific only account?

All of the reserve accounts, with the exception of the operational reserve, can be reallocated by The Township Board at any time on a majority vote.  For example, this year the un-allocted hotel tax reserves that were put into a reserve fund to manage potential debt service for a possible Performing Arts Center in the 2020 Budget. When the economic ramifications of the COVID shutdowns made it apparent that would need to make major revisions in that budget. As part of that process we returned the hotel tax revenues back to un-allocated hotax reserve, as a potential buffer against the forecasted 70% reduction in this year's hotel revenues.

Should the township be funding non-profit organization events such as Interfaith luncheons, senior pick-up services, Education for tomorrow luncheons, etc...with tax dollars.

I have led the Board on the matter of eliminating the funding of non-profit organizations with property tax dollars.

As far as the luncheons are concerned the Township does that so that Board members (who are not compensated for their services) may attend luncheons for Township partners like Interfaith, The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council where the Township Board needs to be represented. 

I am not opposed to using tax dollars to procure services like Senior Rides, Meals-on-Wheels and chaplain services for the Fire Department from non-profits if it provides the most cost effective rate.  Senior rides is also a requirement of the FTA funding and we now use Emergency Ministries to provide counseling services at a much lower cost than hiring a full time Chaplain.

What are your thoughts regarding the 2020 Preliminary budget?  Do you fully support it in full and, if not, what do you object to?

Asked and answered above.

What is your position on the Homestead, Over 65 and Disabled Exemptions available to the residents of the Township?

In the last eight years the Township has persued an agressive path of lowering the tax rate for all residents of The Woodlands.  With the restrictions of Senate bill 4 in place, increasing the homestead exemptions at this time is not finacially viable.  By lowering the actual tax rate the Board has provided much more than a 20% tax benefit to all of The Woodlands taxpayers.

With The Woodlands reaching full residential build-out, what do you think the Township should do to generate additional non-property tax revenues to maintain services without a property tax increase?

There are only a few things that we can do to keep the pressure off raising property tax rates.  Expand our commercial building tax base, or expand our Sales taxes and Hotel tax revenues.  That is why I have been so passionate about converting Visit The Woodlands from an event planning organization to an award winning marketing organization that is focused on generating conferences, conventions and enticing visitors to come to The Woodlands and spend their hard earned money in our community.

It's been reported that The Woodlands comprises only 20% of households in the county, yet provides almost double that (38.5%) of the county total in property taxes. What would/could you do to correct this gross imbalance of tax inequity?

I am open to suggestions.  We are a victim of our own success.  People and businesses want to live and locate in our community because it is an outstanding place to live and hopefully that will never change.  The way that we are overtaxed for County services is completely counter to my views on taxation as a value principle.

Have you ever been convicted as result of arrest? Ever had any tax liens? If so, give start & resolution dates?

No, I have not.

Have you and/or any of your family members ever ben employed by or worked under contract to either The Woodlands Township, Woodlands Development Company or Montgomery County?

No, we have not.

What are your thoughts about the community using the board to promote certain social justice agendas? Should the board maintain neutrality since they represent broad views of all residents?

I am opposed and am on record opposing these sorts of proclamations.

What are the 3 most pressing mobility issues in The Woodlands and what is your preferred solution to each?

1. The I-45 Corridor study.  TxDot is in the process of elvaluating significant changes to I-45 from FM1960 through Conroe.  This section of I-45 was developed using the "rural" model of major feeder roads branching off every two miles, instead of the 1 mile urban model.  This problem is made more intense by the natural barriers to north-south travel in South County.  Unfortunately, as we are not a City we will have precious little official input into the plan.

2. The Mansions Way Boulevard Extension.  This is the Woodlands Parkway extension that the Developers and the County have lusted after since 2015, when the voters rejected the bond issue that was slated to pay for the extension.  The traffic levels on FM2978 are already close to grid lock.  The Mansions Way extension will only make the problems worse.

3. The urgent need to once again widen FM1488 and provide flyover access to both north and south bound traffic to prevent traffic from cutting through the Woodlands on one of our east-west feeder roads.

Commissioner Riley is actively planning the extension of the Mansion's Way parkway. What should the Township do to prevent a flood of cut though traffic on Woodlands Parkway?

The only thing The Woodlands can do to control the traffic flows in the community is to incorporate and get control of our infrastructure. There is no incentive for the county or the development community to restrict development of roads and structures in the semi-rural areas north and west of The Woodlands that will result in increased traffic on our east-west arteries, Woodlands Parkway, Research Forrest, Lake Woodlands Drive and SR242.

What is your opinion of the WRUD (Woodlands Road Utility District) and how is it useful and what's the downside?

The WRUD1 has built most of the road infrastructure throughout The Woodlands and parts of Shennandoah.  The taxing district of the WRUD1 encompasses the majority of the Town Center Improvement district.  When the WRUD1 was constituted it was seen as a mechanism to fund roadways and bridges that would not directly impact residential home owners in the community.  I am not a fan of Special Purpose Tax Districts that have limited voters than can obligate businesses within the boundaries of the District to millions of dollars of debt, but they are a staple of Texas development.

What are the three main reasons you are running for this office? Do you see any potential conflicts of interest?

1. Unfinished business - The COVID mandated shutdowns put a lot of Township work on hold while the Board dealt with the economic fallout

2. Finish the Incorporation Study and start the public education process of the pros and cons, ultimately leading up to placing the issue on the ballot to allow the voters to decide their future.

3. To continue my work with Visit The Woodlands to better position the Township to expand its non-property tax revenues.

I see no potential conflict of interest issues.

What do you perceive to be the biggest threat to our community within the next 5 years?

The biggest threat to the continued development of South County is water, groundwater, surface water and storm water.  All three are inextricably linked and dependent upon the wise management of each aspect. It astounds me that there is no one elected official that has the power to coordinate the regulation of these vital natural resources.  The current issues surrounding the SJRA and the Lake Conroe surface water plant, the Lone Star Ground Water Conservation District's plan to increase ground water pumping by 50%, the ongoing concerns regarding subsidence in South County, the cost of re-tooling our wells, and the ongoing litigation surrounding all these issues is not going away.  We need to formulate thoughtful plans with all of the entities that manage all or part of our water systems more effectively.  There will be serious consequences for the County if we fail to do so.

With new legislation (HB347) prohibiting annexation of smaller communities by larger/adjacent cities unless approved by voters, is The Woodlands still obligated to pay-off Houston ($1 million) and Conroe ($500,000) for that purpose?

Yes, we are still obligated irregardless of HB347, or potential incorporation.  The regional participation agreement that requires these payments actually runs for many years after the moritorum on Houston annexation expires in 2057. 

Do you agree/disagree with MCTP Core Values?  Please explain if you disagree

I agree with your core values., if I did not I would not seek your endorsement.

What political party do you affiliate with? Do you believe in that party platform (all of it or % part - if %, please describe what you disagree with)?

I have been a registered Republican for 49 years.  I support both the platform and my fellow Republican candidates.