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

Being a political commentator and enthusiastic supporter of citizens getting involved locally, I was astonished and disappointed to see our some on our Township Board actively promoting the $350 million road bond, even after it was apparent that Woodlands Township citizens were strongly against it. It is clear that we need directors who are willing to advocate for the residents of our community above outside interests. My experiences as an engineer and consultant, my focus on fiscal responsibility, my proven ability to be a people’s advocate, and much prayer have all led me to pursuing this calling. We have a great hometown, and I want to partner with our citizens to keep it that way. I have no conflicts of interest in this campaign.

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

 I bring many facets necessary to be the kind of leader our community deserves. First, I have shown a real willingness to stand up for Woodlands residents, putting citizens above developers and special interests groups. Also, I bring my years of experience as an expert in business process design and consulting. Finally, as mother of two young, school-age children, I directly experience and understand the needs and impacts of board actions on Woodlands families.

What three changes would you like to see implemented by the Township?

Budget – maintaining a focus on fiscally conservative budgeting

Engaging residents – keeping residents abreast of what the Township Board is doing

Advocating for the residents first.

List all civic, political or union organizations or individuals to whom you have contributed time or money in the last five years.

Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney, Steve Toth, James Noack, The Woodlands Republican Womens’ Club, Texas Patriots PAC.

Are you now or have you ever done business with any township and/or county official?

No

Are any of your family members employed by or working under contract to either The Woodlands Township or Montgomery County?

No

List all individuals/groups you have represented or lobbied for before any governmental entity during the past five years.

I lobbied for the residents of The Woodlands before the Montgomery County commissioners during the May 9th election season.

Have you ever been arrested? Ever had any tax liens? If so, start & resolution dates?

No

The township budget funds all reserves 100% yearly. Should any surplus be returned to the residents or retained in a rainy day fund?

Over the past 3 years, the Township has, in essence, refunded surplus by reducing our property tax rate even lower than the anticipated property appraisal evaluation increase. As we continue to practice fiscally responsible spending, any additional one-time surpluses should be set aside in an incorporation “savings account”.

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.

The senior pick up services are federally mandated. The Woodlands contracts with Interfaith to be the provider of those services.

However, in general, Woodlands tax dollars should be spent on providing the specified services of the Township. Our tax dollars are not charitable contributions to be redistributed to non-profit organizations at the behest of the Township board.

Do you consider the water taxi service an amenity in The Woodlands? If so what level of funding should be paid by taxpayer dollars?

It is my understanding that Director Bunch is working with the CVB to eliminate the current water taxis. Bailing out the Woodlands Development Company and the Brazos Transit district to save them from losing $240,000/year was a poor decision. I look forward to seeing how we can encourage private business to provide amenities along our waterway.

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?

As with household budgets, itemizing projects makes it easier to understand how much money you’ve saved to know how much more you need. Setting project specific accounts would be ideal. That being said, budgets are fluid and money saved in one account can be moved to another as needed. As director, my job is to ensure that we are disciplined in how and how much we save/spend and where. 

What is the standard the "Township" should set on general obligation debt?

Our goal should be to maintain the highest bond ratings possible by maintaining generous reserves and keeping our budget fiscally responsible. Choosing to take on debt to fund a particular project should include factors such as long-term viability of the project, maintenance costs and revenue received from the project, if any. 

Is the current amount of "county" debt a good or bad thing and why?

No debt is good. However, from time to time, debt is a necessary evil. As best as we can, we should always strive to plan for emergencies and the future to incur as little debt as possible. Montgomery County debt is approximately fourth in the state. This is much too high and the county officials must work to not only reduce our current debt, but also reduce our need to take on future debt by setting aside savings.

Woodlands founder George Mitchell was arguably the godfather of "sustainable" communities and funded international meetings here to that end. What does that mean to you?

Whatever the original intent of Mr. Mitchell’s vision was, what we have today is a wonderful hometown and a great place to raise our children. The Woodlands is a unique community which drew us here because of the many ideas Mr. Mitchell put in place. It is now up to the residents of The Woodlands to make our hometown what we envision it to be. 

What are the 2 most pressing mobility issues in The Woodlands and what is your preferred solution to each?

1) A Woodlands Parkway extension would have devastating effects on our traffic and our quality of life. The Woodlands cannot become a pass-through community. I will continue to take a stand for the Woodlands against any connection across 2978.

2) The Woodlands doesn’t have an overall plan for how our traffic should be managed. Every new road proposed is done ad hoc. We need an inventory of all our roads & an overall plan for how we want The Woodlands to handle mobility around and across our township. 

Did you take a public position on the May 9, 2015 Road Bond, and if so, what was it? And in a few sentences, explain why.

I was overwhelmingly and publicly against the May 9th road bond. Residents across the county had no input into the bonds, the list was created by a committee behind closed doors, there was no comprehensive plan for the entire county and the bond included activities, such as maintenance, that county tax payers fund through their taxes already. I was especially against the Woodlands Parkway extension and will remain strongly against it. Residents of The Woodlands clearly don’t want the parkway extended past 2978.

Explain what a RUD is and it's use, if any, to the community of The Woodlands. Also address any negatives.

A road utility district is a boundaried taxing entity who collects taxes to build roads. The RUD was beneficial in building the major feeder roads for The Woodlands community at its outset. However, as our roadway structure nears completion, the RUD should be considered for sunsetting.

The RUD is another governmental entity who is making decisions for our community without our representation or consent. 

Should Township directors serve at large or represent specific villages (districts)?

Districts are really no different than having 4 county precincts, which is proving to be detrimental to community cohesion and the overall state of the county. I prefer the at-large system. 

Are you active with any Tea Party or conservative grassroots organization? If so, list which, how long and what capacity? If not, what's your opinion of Tea Party groups here as to their effectiveness?

Texas Patriots PAC – attend meetings when possible, member. Montgomery County Tea Party – attend meetings when possible, supporter. The Woodlands Republican Women’s Club – Social Media chair.

Do you think The Woodlands should become a city or remain unincorporated? Why?

 I am strongly in favor of incorporation for The Woodlands. Despite our lengthy timeframe, incorporation of The Woodlands is eminent. It is vitally important The Woodlands begins taking responsible steps that will mitigate the associated cost of incorporation for the residents. Despite earlier “studies” that purport to make incorporation unaffordable, I side with the majority of residents that believe we can manage incorporation expenses while gaining control of our community’s future development. I’m interested in actively planning our future and taking necessary steps towards independence with the understanding that this process is a long one. It’s absolutely imperative we plan now and make all budget decisions with incorporation in mind.

In this role, you'll be representing both the community & businesses. In the event of a conflict with the Woodlands Development corporation how would handling this situation?

I will put the residents first. If there is a clear conflict of interest between Township directors and the Development Company, those directors should recuse themselves from being involved in any particular issue/conflict.