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

12 years is too long for an elected official in a single position. 16 years is even worse. That's twice the maximum length of a US President. That is not representative government. Instead, without term limits (even self-imposed term limits) we become a nation of people being governed by a ruling class. That ruling class becomes entitled and assumes ownership.

In addition, the current administration does not practice transparency or collaboration with the taxpayers. At the end of the day, elected officials work for the taxpayers and as such should be an open book and have an open door. 

I am qualified for the job because I bring a healthy balance of private sector business success in a 25-year career, coupled with 10 years of public service.

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

~Not Answered Yet~

Under what circumstance will you vote to award any contract with less than three qualified bidders?

I would certainly prefer that all contracts have a minimum of three qualified bidders, but that also assumes that you will have 3 competent firms responding to your solicitaion.  

Since TAC (Texas Association of Counties) is very unfriendly towards taxpayers, will you vote for or against including Montgomery county membership to TAC? Why?

~Not Answered Yet~

Will you vote for or against Certificate of Obligation Bonds? When is a Cert. of Obligaton warranted? Though statutory(created by legislature), would you publicly condemn it's use?

I would not vote to issue Certificate of Obligation Bonds.  If we decide to issue bonds we need to go to referendum for approval.

Do you think the county needs to zone areas to control population densities and development patterns?

In Texas, with rare exceptions, Counties do not have zoning authority.  They do have plating review control of proposed subdivisions and they could use that authority to enact requirements regarding roadway setback, ground water consumption or park (green space) set asides, etc.  Ironically, cities have more control over unincorporated areas within their Extra Territorial Jurisdiction than the Counties that the development is actually located.  So the short answer is that they can exercise limited control through the plating process, but they cannot impose zoning restrictions, per se. 

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

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Do you support using zero-based budget practices for every governmental entity, elected and appointed?

Yes.

How will you improve the transparency and access to financial and other records for the public?

The budget needs to be much easier to research and read online. Tax payers should be able to drill down on each line item and see how the money is being spent.

Will you vote to limit budget increases to a factor based on population growth and inflation? Explain.

~Not Answered Yet~

What are the balanced budget “rules” for Texas counties in general and for Montgomery County in particular & how/when would you balance the Montgomery County budget & pay off debt?

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In light of census data showing average taxpayer salaries of $40K, what salary would be appropriate for the office you are seeking?

The question you should be asking is, are current County salary levels reflective of current market conditions for the tasks they are responsible for managing and or accomplishing? I would find it hard to justify having a County Commissioner that makes more than the Governor of Texas, as well as every other County Commissioner in state.

What are your criteria for granting tax abatements and under what, if any, conditions should the county offer incentives for corporations? Why?

Tax abatements are a negotiating tool used in what is basically a business deal. In general, I am against tax abatements and while I was mayor of Shenandoah we didn't give a single abatement over six years. However, we were in a position where our supply (land) was far less than the demand. Basically, we didn't have to because people were still going to buy land and build projects. That doesn't mean that there might not be a case where the ROI is greater if you give an abatement. Again, I am against abatements but I would continue to review them on a case by case basis.

Will you vote for increasing the public debt of your jurisdiction to fund road construction/maintenance?  Explain why/not.

When looking a capital projects, a prudent person would weigh the merits of paying for such project with available cash or through the use of general obligation bonds.  As a commissioner I would be voting to place said bond issue on the ballot, not to approve their issuance.  Issuance of the bonds would be conditional upon the approval by the public through referendum.  

Will you vote for or against incurring more debt when only the commissioners vote on the matter? Why or why not?

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

No

Do you believe the private conduct of a public official is relevant to that official’s suitability for office?

Yes

What's your position on county using taxpayer money to fund Toll Roads, yet using toll fees for maintenance?

The current system used a very unorthodox method to fund the toll road.  Normally, toll roads are created in a way where it becomes user funded for the  entire cost of construction, interest and maintenance.  While I don't like the idea of building roads with county taxes and then slapping a toll on it, the taxpayers as a whole are not paying for its maintenance. No governmental entity should ever construct or fund construction of toll roads without voter approval.

What people have done is an indicator of what they will do ... what have you done to reduce the size of government over the last 10 years?

~Not Answered Yet~

Do you support privatizing, competitive bidding and/or outsourcing as many government services as practicable?

As Mayor of Shenandoah, we did contract services to both private and public entities.  For example, we contracted with The Woodlands for fire department services to avoid both the capital and personnel costs of establishing a municipal fire service.  We also contracted with Republic Waste Services to provide trash collections services to the city.  Contracting for County services should be considered if the cost of contracting is less than the cost of providing that same service in-house.

What would you do at the county level to protect citizens from the federal or state government?

Without knowing what you think I need to protect you from, I really cannot give a thoughful answer.

Do you consider the salary increases for County Commissioners over the past 10 years to be equitable in light of the salary increases for other county officials?

No, I do not.  I am amazed at the salary growth over the past 10 years, not just with the Commissioners themselves, their staff salaries have risen dramatically as well.  I truly believe that everyone that works in Montgomery County should be subject to a unified pay structure.  After all, it is not the Commissioner that is paying the staff, it is the County and as such it should be a uniform system.

Would you support an independent expert group outside the Comissioner's office to score and award engineering designs to the most qualified firm.

This is an interesting idea, but there would be a significant cost inherent in hiring an independent group of experts and no real guarentee that they could not be influenced to interpret the term "most qualified" when making recommendations.  I would propose that we create a internal procurement mechanism with specific rules relating to qualifications and competitive bidding on items that Texas law permits.  Texas law specifically prohibits competive bidding on professional services.  Those services include Professional Engineering and Legal Services among others. What I would also like to see implemented are restrictions on political donations by firms that are awarded county contracts. This would go a long way in the  prevention of the appearance of a pay to play system.