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

A. To return to the community some of the benefits the Good Lord has bestowed upon me in my commercial life.

B. To ensure that the vision of George Mitchell lives on (except for the part where we get annexed by Houston).

C. To provide greater transparency and openness in the Township’s operations, through deploying technology that enables easier compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. 

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

1. I am thoughtful and analytical. My engineering training has taught me that there may be more than one solution to a problem that a fresh pair of eyes can see that a career politician cannot.
2. I have been an engineer, a lawyer, and a business leader. I was the Chief Legal Officer of a publicly-traded start-up, Research In Motion (BlackBerry), as well as the Business Head of BlackBerry Europe in England. I view The Woodlands as a start-up operation that is in desperate need of new blood to take it to the next level.
3. I am fiscally conservative in my business and in my home life. We think about every expenditure to determine whether it is necessary and whether it is sufficient to accomplish the goals we wish to reach by making such an expenditure. I would like to bring a sense of fiscal discipline and analysis to the board and test the assumptions behind all fiscal matters. 

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

1. We need thoughtful, independent leadership on the Board, and we need to establish an analytical framework for budget matters. Leadership matters, and it cannot be beholden to developers or any group. The only group the Board Members should be beholden to are the voters.

2. Term limits, at least for the chair if not for each Board Member.

3. Greater transparency through the use of technology without sacrificing the privacy of our

   citizens’ personal data. 

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

Various Republican Women’s organizations, Rotary International, Romney for President (general election only), Republican National Lawyers Association, True the Vote, Texas Patriots PAC, Knights of Columbus. 

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

I broke my foot on Township property, and I spoke with the President to make sure that the sidewalk was redone at the point where I broke it. I did not receive anything from the Township, so this might not qualify as doing business. 

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.

None.

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

No and No.

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

I would like to see a true rainy day fund for the cost of planning for the transition from a Township to a City 

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.

Mostly no. I think a case might be made for the senior pick-up services, but I would like to exhaust all other funding sources before relying on tax dollars. Senior pick-up services would not be at the top of my list of priority spending. 

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

Zero dollars for water taxi. 

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?

Specific accounts only. 

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

I would like to hear from the drafter of this question as to what they mean. I would like to know what standards are appropriate and what standards are acceptable to the voters. I wish to understand this issue better before commenting. Philosophically, only necessary and sufficient debt should ever be incurred. 

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

I have not studied the county’s debt level in comparison to other counties. One to the reasons that Texas is a low debt state is because the debt is being pushed to lower levels of government, particularly counties. My sense is that the county debt is a bad thing, but until I put my eyes on a thorough analysis of the debt the County has incurred, I should not comment further. I will commit listening to anyone who wants to make a case that the debt level is too high or too low 

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?

I don’t know that the use of “sustainable” by George Mitchell means that we are created as an Agenda 21 community. We need to be diligent and vigilant in making sure that UN efforts like Agenda 21 have no place in The Woodlands. I think George Mitchell had the vision to build a community that had jobs, entertainment, churches, schools and businesses in a self-contained, self-sufficient community. I object to the notion that the left can coopt terms from the rest of us like sustainable or progressive. I would like to progress to a more conservative, sustainable future for our free enterprise system. I am a capitalist, not a socialist. I am against crony capitalism, but I am not a progressive liberal. 

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

Mobility is mostly a county issue. The best thing we can do as a township is put personal politics aside and work with the County government on mobility issues. If the County Commissioners Courtdoesn’t work with us, then we need to find candidates we can individually support who can work with us. 

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 against for the reasons stated in the literature driven by the Patriots PAC, and stated so at the Patriots PAC meeting prior to the election. I was most concerned about the proposed Woodlands Parkway Extension. 

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

I have a difficulty with a special purpose district, such as the Road Utility District that does not have a voter group that it is responsible to. I encourage to read this older article which reflects my views on the topic to a large degree. If the legislature hasn’t change the law yet, it should for all special districts. I don’t mind a road utility district that taxes businesses rather than residents to help pay for road improvements. The less tax burden I have to bear the better. The road district needs to be accountable to the residents as well as to the businesses they tax, ideally. 

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

I would like to see a mixture of villages and at-large seats, like Houston City Council, I think. I would like to hear from the residents of what we want. 

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?

List which, how long and what capacity? I have been a member of the Texas Patriots Pac and the Tri-County Tea Party in Liberty County for the past 3 years, and have been a speaker to both groups. I am the founding President of the Lone Star Republicans, one of the more conservative Republican Clubs in the Greater Houston Area and remain on their board. I am in current discussions with True the Vote and the King Street Patriots to assist them in their efforts. 

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

Yes, but not before we do a lot of heavy lifting. We have 37 years before we need to incorporate to avoid incorporation into Houston. I would like our analysis to be complete within the next five years to understand the cost and other ramifications of incorporation so that we know all that we can before we commit to incorporation. 

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 represent the voters. I don’t represent businesses. I do want to find solutions where the interests of the voters and the interests of our business community align. We need not be on opposites sides on any issue -- especially when those businesses employ many of our residents.