Tell Us About You
1. How long have you lived in College Station, and what neighborhood do you call home? What drew you here, or kept you here?
I have lived here for nearly a decade. I have lived the majority of that on Manuel. The university drew me here and the deep impactful community presence is what kept me.
2. What in your professional, volunteer, or public service background has best prepared you to serve in city office?
In total, I have sat on about 7 boards ranging from non-profits, the city, and the school districts. I think outside of doing the citizen academies with the city, these different organizations I volunteer with help square me away in a diverse manner that prepares me to lead well, to have a background in solving a multitude of problem sets, and hearing the different needs of all sorts of perspectives and backgrounds.
Neighborhoods And Quality Of Life
1. What makes a neighborhood healthy, and what is one thing the city could do to strengthen established neighborhoods?
I believe that a good neighborhood community is what makes it healthy and strong. Do they know one another and have a relationship? Can they help each other out and be there for one another? I believe city hall has lost trust with many groups, especially the neighborhoods, because they don’t engage well with the individual neighborhoods. I would love to hear from all the different groups and HOAs and hear what they need to be successful.
2. How should the city balance new housing growth and student housing needs with protecting the character of existing neighborhoods?
I believe that you need to protect the homes that have been here for generations while smartly developing areas for students to live in. I believe in strong neighborhood integrity, and that means doing what we can to preserve the character of that area. I think something that would be helpful is trying to teach the students why those areas are special and how they can help preserve it.
3. Residents in some neighborhoods consistently report issues with noise, parking and trash. These issues are reported, but there have been few successes in resolving the issues long-term. What changes would you support to increase the effectiveness of Code Enforcement?
You don’t know what you don’t know, right? So I would want to see on the inside, what does a See-Click-Fix report look like and how are these reports coming into the system. Then I would like to go on a ride along with code enforcement and see how these issues are going to be handled. Lastly, I would want to sit with the upset neighbors and listen to their concerns, and once I have all that information, then spend time coming up with options that could close the gaps.
A Growing And Fiscally Responsible City
1. With TeraFab now under Phase 1 construction, what does the city need to accomplish during your term to be better prepared?
Locate land that can be used for industrial development and be ready to welcome growth in terms of helping find responsible and appropriate locations rather than it just landing on top of neighborhoods. We should reevaluate what major construction projects we are committing to and make sure we move pieces around so that we can grow with major projects and not play catch-up.
2. When considering a Chapter 380 economic development agreement, what criteria would you use to determine its value to the community? Please give an example of a deal, here or elsewhere, that meets or fails your test.
Do the terms of the agreement make sense? Can we audit them? Do we have clawbacks? Are the metrics reasonable for our taxpayers? What would their job input be? If a company is asking for a property tax break, then they better be bringing primary jobs. I think Bass Pro Shops is a good example, a bit heavy on the incentives we are giving them alone, but when you zoom out, you realize that 5 more retailers and shops are going on the same property, and so you’re going to get dozens of primary jobs and an overall increase in the tax base.
Trust And Transparency
1. Many residents feel major decisions are largely settled before the public has a real chance to weigh in. What specific practices would you support to build trust between City Hall and residents?
All NDA’s have to end 30 days before a vote to seek citizen input and should be a workshop item first to hear from the community.
2. What does fiscal transparency mean to you, and how would residents be able to tell whether the city is achieving it?
It means if we are raising the tax rate, you know exactly why with no hesitation. If we cannot clearly articulate why we need more of the taxpayers’ money, then we don’t need to raise the tax rate. Any citizen should clearly be able to see where their dollar is going. End of story.
Governance And Leadership
1. Describe a time you changed your mind after hearing from people who disagreed with you.
Flock – initially, I agreed with CSPD and thought it was a tool where the success outweighed the minor flaws. I then learned about the major flaws and the deep privacy concerns and after sitting with citizens and doing a lot of homework, changed my view point.
2. What would success look like to you at the end of your term?
To be known as the council member who shows up for the people. Did I vote and support the people? Was I out in the community and visible and available for any concerned citizen? Most importantly, was I a good neighbor to everyone and bring trust back to city hall.
Closing
1. What's one thing you'd like voters to know about you that hasn't come up in the campaign?
I truly love to learn and gain new knowledge. You are never going to bother me if you want to sit down and share some of your wisdom or knowledge. I am also a big storyteller, so I love hearing other people’s stories. This is your home for a reason, and I’d love to know why or what has made you stay here. Understanding our past lets us move together into our future.