Who is endorsing you and what is their relationship to you?

I have not asked for endosement from any group or person.

Who has ownership of the land below and the air above and how far of each?  Is groundwater considered a person’s private property under the Texas Constitution?

Recent court rulings have claified the ownership or right to use groundwater that lies under your property. 

What aquifer or aquifers does LSGCD regulate?

The LSGCD has the ability to regulate the Gulf Coast aquifer system beneath the county which consists of the Chico, Evangeline, Catahoula and Jasper aquifers. 

In your opinion, does Does Montgomery County have a water resource or regulation problem?  Why?

I believe we have both a resource and a regulation problem.  Groundwater supplies are not limitless and will require regulation to manage its withdrawals in an efficient and equitable manor.  Regulations need to take into account the impact of over pumping including the increased subsidence and the economic impact of water level declines and reduced well pumping ability.  It also needs to recognize general equity issues so that the burden to convert from only groundwater supplies to a mix of ground and surface water or other sources is not unfairly burdened on todays generation for the full benefit of future generations. 

Should an aquifer be regulated based on its physical boundaries, or based on the boundaries of political subdivisions of the state?

Water supplies both ground a surface water are not contained within a political subdivision.  They are not physically constrained by arbitrary boundaries so they should be managed based on their physical limits or boundaries. This then requires entities to work together with all the political subdivisions that it impacts.

Will you vote to require a supermajority vote to approve bond elections?

This question is not relevant to the Lone Star Board.

Who is endorsing you and what is their relationship to you?

I have not ask any group or person for an endorsement.

Who has ownership of the land below and the air above and how far of each?  Is groundwater considered a person’s private property under the Texas Constitution?

This is a duplicate question.

What aquifer or aquifers does LSGCD regulate?

This is a duplicate question.

In your opinion, does Does Montgomery County have a water resource or regulation problem?  Why?

This is a duplicate question.

Should an aquifer be regulated based on its physical boundaries, or based on the boundaries of political subdivisions of the state?

This is a duplicate question.

Will you vote to require a supermajority vote to approve bond elections?

This question is not relevant to the Lone Star GCD.

What makes you qualified for this office?  Name three main reasons you believe you’re the best candidate for this position?

I believe I am the best candidate for the Board of the LSGCD because of my knowledge and experience in the water industry over the past 25. 

I have a deep understanding of water supply issues and a variety of experience and knowledge that will be valuable to the Board and the County residents.  I understand the complexity of water supplies, the interrelationship between groundwater withdrawals and subsidence, water level declines and the impact on well pumping capacity, the financial impact of converting from ground to other water supplies including surface water.  I have worked with and managed numerous engineering contracts and understand the difficulty in obtaining clear and concise answers to difficult questions such as how much water can we withdraw from each aquifer and what are the impacts of over production.  Different firms have different opinions so you must examine their assumptions to be certain the conclusions and science are valid.  

I do not have an allegiance to any group or person.  My goal is to review the science and make regulatory decisions based on what is best for all residents of the County.  The regulations must consider the short and long term financial impact to the water supplier and the resident of the county.  I will vote to be fair to everyone not just the cities or the water producers, or the well owners but to balance the needs of the County in total, to be fair and equitable across the board while still protecting our water supplies for future generations.

The Board is both a regulated entity since it is regulated by the TCEQ and it is a regulator of water suppliers in the County. I have been both a regulator and have been regulated. As a regulator I understand the position the Board is in when they require an entity to reduce groundwater withdrawals and the pain and expense those decision can cause.  I also understand the difficulty when another regulatory agency forces the Board to meet their regulations such as the challenges the Board faced when the TCEQ did not agree with their regulations.  

What are the 3 largest challenges currently facing this position/office and your road map to address them?

The challenges facing the LSGCD include:

Finalization of the ongoing engineering studies especially the impact of groundwater withdrawal on subsidence in the County. 

Working with GMA14 to modify the District's DFC's, if deemed appropriate, by May of next year. 

Continuing to balance the conflicting needs of the water suppliers and residents of the county in the most cost effective way long-term through effective implementation of the District's Regulations.

What are the top 3 areas where the budget for this office needs to be adjusted?

I think the current budget for the District is reasonable and does not need adjustment at this time.

Will you vote to award any contract with less than three qualified bidders?

Yes I would given some parameters.  Most services required of the District are for professional services that are not allowed by law to submit bids.  These services such as engineering services must have a well defined scope of work that is reviewed to ascertain if the level of effort outlined in each service task is reasonable given the description of the service to be provided and the deliverable.  Some contracts do need to have at least solicited three qualified bidders these would include items like janitorial services or goods such as furniture purchases as examples.

What are the top 3 areas where the budget for this office needs to be adjusted?

This is a duplicate question.

Will you vote to award any contract with less than three qualified bidders?

This is a duplicate question.

If elected, would you vote to hire lobbyists to represent the LSGCD in Austin? Why or why not?

I might consider hiring a lobbyist to represent the District if their appeared to be a party threatening the District in some manner.  As a general course of business I do not think the District has a need for a lobbyist

List anyone you have lobbied for or represented at any governmental agency during the past five years?

I have never lobbied for nor represented a government agency.

Should two local government entities force residents to pay billions of dollars for infrastructure development without a vote?

I do not believe that any entity should be forced to pay for infrastructure without representation.  I do think that all entitles in the County had and have fair representation on the LSGCD.  Whether the Board consisted of appointees by other elected entities, as it was initially structured, or by direct vote of the citizens of the County, as it is structured now, there was fair representation.  

If elected, would you vote to hire lobbyists to represent the LSGCD in Austin? Why or why not?

This is a duplicate question.

List anyone you have lobbied for or represented at any governmental agency during the past five years?

This is a duplicate question.

Should two local government entities force residents to pay billions of dollars for infrastructure development without a vote?

This is a duplicate question.

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

I have never been arrested.  I have never had a tax lien.

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 mostly affiliate with the Republican party.  I am a fiscal conservative who agrees that less government is better and that the free market is what drives our strong economy.  I agree with about 85% fo the party platform.   

When and how was the LSGD created?  What are the duties? Where is their authority derived?

The LSGCD was created in 2001 by the state legislature to preserve, protect, and conserve groundwater supplies in Montgomery County.

In 2009, the LSGCD mandated a 30% reduction on water withdrawal from underground aquifers.  On what scientific data was that decision based on?

The mandate was not a straight 30% reduction in groundwater withdrawal but a combination of a cap on future withdrawals to limit the amount of water withdrawn to the 64,000 AF modeled as the static sustainable withdrawal amount. This was based on modeled withdrawals and recharge of the aquifers. 

What actions should the LSGCD take to implement change that would result in lower water rates for consumers?

I do not believe the LSGCD should be involved in determining water rates or helping to offset the costs for consumers.  I believe the District's purpose and goal is to development fair and equitable regulations that consider the financial impact of compliance.  Assuring the regulations are well written and then allowing each regulated water supplier to determine how best to implement the regulations for their constituents in the most cost effective manner.  That being said, the District should consider the impact of generational equity so that the entire burden of protecting future water supplies is not borne by todays water users alone. 

Explain SJRA's reason for suppyling surface water to enities?

I believe that is a question for SJRA.

Would you be in favor of consolidating all of the County's water sources under one elected regulatory body? Why or why not?

I would not be in favor of one regulated entity.   There are numerous strategies to implement reductions in groundwater withdrawals and what may work for one portion of the County may not work for another portion of the County.  The numerous political subdivisions within the County should be allowed to manage their water use as they deem appropriate to meet the LSGCD's mandates.

Will you vote for increasing the public debt of Montgomery County to fund water related construction/maintenance?

NO

Should water rights be traded like a commodity? Why or why not?

Surface water rights are already traded like a commodity. Groundwater rights are not typically handled that way currently but I anticipate it will in the future as water supplies continue to become more scarce. 

Should LSGCD participate in a county wide flood mitigation plan? Explain

No.  I do not believe the LSGCD should be involved in drainage or flood mitigation.  

Is any amount of subsidence acceptable?

Technically no amount is acceptable but practically it will occur you cannot stop it totally.  Even in areas of Harris County that have almost eliminate groundwater withdrawal subsidence still occurs. 

Explain what GM14 is and why it's in place?

I believe you mean GMA14.  GMA's were formed legislatively in 2005 as a multi-county aquifer based groundwater management area to assure groundwater is managed on a regional level and not based on arbitrary political boundaries like a County.  GMA's establish modeled available groundwater  for the states aquifers. They balance withdrawal rates through approved DFC's within their boundaries so that all counties have an appropriate amount of groundwater use without negatively impacting the region. 

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

This is a duplicate question.

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?

Duplicate Question

When and how was the LSGD created?  What are the duties? Where is their authority derived?

Duplicate Question

In 2009, the LSGCD mandated a 30% reduction on water withdrawal from underground aquifers.  On what scientific data was that decision based on?

Duplicate Question

What actions should the LSGCD take to implement change that would result in lower water rates for consumers?

Duplicate Question

Explain SJRA's reason for suppyling surface water to enities?

Duplicate question

Would you be in favor of consolidating all of the County's water sources under one elected regulatory body? Why or why not?

Duplicate question

Will you vote for increasing the public debt of Montgomery County to fund water related construction/maintenance?

Duplicate Question

Should water rights be traded like a commodity? Why or why not?

Duplicate question

Should LSGCD participate in a county wide flood mitigation plan? Explain

Duplicate Question

Is any amount of subsidence acceptable?

Duplicate Question

Explain what GM14 is and why it's in place?

Duplicate question