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? 

If The Woodlands truly wishes to be a self-governing community then Incorporation is the only way to do that. Incorporation was brought to the residents to allow them to exercise their vote on self-governance. Our job as a director is to make sure we have all the information for the residents to make an informed decision and that is all, regardless of our opinion. Unless something drastic happens that would warrant the community to revisit this issue, I do not foresee this coming up any time soon. 

Financially, I believe the best time would have been to incorporate no later than this year. However, unless we have supporting commissioners our future law enforcement transition agreements will have ended and it would be very difficult to negotiate that back without cooperation. 

What, in your view, are the positive and negative aspects of the Township's current governance structure?

Currently, our Township structure is about efficient as you will get in any community in the U.S. In the last couple of years we have restructured the organization chart to better handle the increased responsibilities and better address resident concerns. 

Some negative aspects are relying on the county/HGAC for our roads, stop signs, and mobility throughout The Woodlands. Also, we are left out of most government emergency funds and rely on the county for our share. Another aspect we lose out on is the ability to acquire state funding grants to build community amenities, such as the Performing Arts Center. 

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

I would like to focus more on revitalizing our pathways/pathway signs, missing connectors paths, and parks. Since we are in competition with the growth of Montgomery County, we need to focus on how we can attract more visitors to spend money here, instead of elsewhere. I would like to see The Township move forward with better utilization of the Trolley system. 

Did you attend any of the Special Planning meetings on incorporation? If so, how many?

Yes, All of them. 

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?

HB347 is only for smaller communities that are not currently in any obligatory agreement. Yes, because of the current contract we are still

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

No

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

To date, I have not donated any financial dollars to any civil, political, or union organizations. Except for the current political and civic organizations I am on (Alden Bridge Village Association/The Woodlands Township), I have not donated any time. 

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

The current budget allows for us to successfully perform our function as a Township, providing all the upscale amenities as well as being able to fund some new enhancements. I support the Budget as-is. 

The township budget funds all reserves 100% yearly. What is the current surplus and should any of it be returned to the residents or retained in a rainy day fund and if so, how much and why? Any other options for the surplus?

There were roughly 37 million in reserves, the majority within the Incorporation and Grogans Mills reserves ($20 million). We are currently collapsing our reserve list to our operating reserve. This allows our credit agencies to look more favorable to our credit rating. Having a sufficient surplus puts us in a better position to fund items like debt, or things that arise due to emergencies (COVID/Natural Disasters/Debt payoff).

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.

Please provide me with specific examples of this. 

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?

As Vice Chairman at Visit The Woodlands, I have worked for the last 6 years with Chairman Rieser to increase our sales, which was 8.2% over the 2022 forecast. Approximately 60% of revenues come from Hotel and Sales tax. That is the primary financial engine that provides our low tax rate. 

Is there anything in your background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before your election? Arrests/Convictions? Bankruptcys?

No.

In this role, you'll be representing both residents & organizations. In the event of a conflict with the Woodlands Development Company and/or the Economic Development Partnership, how would handling this situation?

No. I would not put myself in that position. 

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?

We can do very little since the county owns the roadways and the MUDS are in charge of drainage. We can only continue to fight for projects located within our Township borders and highlight the county projects, so that the residents stay informed. 

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

As long as the county continues to widen roads, allow push-throughs within our community we will be pressed to be able to manage the traffic and accidents. One of the areas where I think we can assist is by looking at utilizing the trolleys to help move our residents around in order to take away some car traffic. The majority of the buildup comes from people moving to/from work that do not live within The Township. 

The Woodlands is basically built out, except for some land held by Howard Hughes Corp(HHC). Are you concerned they(HHC) may use that to build multi-family housing? And what are the pros and cons of that?

That is a real possibility, as seen in Creekside. From a revenue standpoint it might help out the tax base, however, multi-family housing adds a new dimension of traffic and flooding, if not done correctly. 

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

I voted to not put it on the ballot last year, not because I wasn't in favor of incorporation, but thought we wouldn't have enough time to provide all the valuable information needed. I openly admitted and stand by my justification. However, I fully supported the information and analysis the Township provided and went to many workshops to discuss the misinformation provided by the developer campaign. 

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

Economic Development. The competition and development throughout Montgomery County, especially hotels and large entertainment developments, will cause some concern for me. 

How long have you been consistently voting in elections? For which parties candidates? List all the elections you have voted in for the past 3 years (2014-2016).

Since I have been registered to vote in Montgomery County, circa 2012. I vote in Township, county, and state elections.