Election
BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
Leander Mayor
If elected, what are your goals for the city of Leander?
How would you ensure infrastructure, such as water and roads, keeps up with population growth? By aligning the council around the future of Leander and ensuring Leander’s best interests are being met, I would look at current contracts involving water rights and accessibility and make changes when, where and if needed. I would also create a multiyear plan for growth of the city to ensure proper plans are in place for roads and accessibility inline with the anticipated growth. We do modeling now for water and wastewater and check in on that modeling frequently. We’re keeping an eye on growth, usage, supply and projections. Roads can be a little harder, but we did recently implement a system that requires developers to pay into a fund for roadway improvements by district, so if someone is redeveloping in your area of town, they’re also paying in to widen a road in that same area. I honestly can not fathom the beauty of our current water and wastewater system, and so glad we have engineers and operators running it. Common sense tells me that it must be predictable to some degree by square footage in residential, and by type of commerce in commercial. Sooo why and how do we push it to the limit? A couple of phases come to mind—“betting on the come” & “robbing peter to pay paul” When I left office in 2012, we estimated we were three years ahead with our water/wastewater infrastructure. We now seem to be two years behind. Lack of maintenance and unanticipated weather events have put us where we are today; in a bad place. It is critical that we get in front of the next wave of growth, and it’s going to happen. Roadways; we will look at creative ways to get said built. By picking up the phone. Improved communication between the city, developers and other government entities is an absolute must. Developers want infrastructure that works for their future residents and tenants, and so do we; it’s up to elected representatives to advocate for what the taxpayers expect from everyone involved. Though I believe we’re on a sustainable path as we grow in population, improved planning/coordination can avoid any future Stage 4-like scenarios.
*INCUMBENT
If elected, I would immediately work to align the City Council on priorities of the people of Leander and ensure that the tasks of the council will make an immediate and positive impact of those who live and visit Leander. Water accessibility and restrictions as well as a well-defined growth strategy for both commercial and residential developments and public safety would be my top priorities.
Damon Burger Occupation: Security executive Relevant experience: Leadership; finance/budgeting; operations; project management; people development; physical security; safety www.damonburger4leander.com
I’m looking forward to being able to focus more on quality-of-life issues. I’d like to see our city’s communications become more robust to ensure we’re able to engage our citizens wherever they are. I’m also looking forward [to] implementing advanced metering infrastructure which will allow residents to know their usage in real time. We also have a critical shortage of city facilities, and we’ll need to put a focus on getting that resolved. My Leander goals lean towards residential over commercial/commerce. a. End property tax, (never allowed to be explored, discussed, or considered) Why? (The idea was a proposal on the recent primary ballot for the state) b. Explore possibilities for endowment resources for “world class” anything other than football ha ha. Trades, inventors/ innovators., etc. c. In development that has already broken ground, finish it and find out what “promises” we’re made and why. [My plan,] Leander 2050, will include a hi-tech landing zone. Also, more medical as it is recession proof. We must attract business, sometimes through incentives. Making Leander more “business friendly” is a major goal. Fire and police expansion is and will be essential. Quality of life is most important to our city. More parkland, shopping, and enjoyment in Leander using and through our old motto “Live, Work, Play, Learn, Shop, Stay.” I want to hear what your goals are! While going door-to-door and hearing more about what issues are important, what needs to be fixed, and what’s worth preserving about Leander, I’ve learned more about my city than I ever would have otherwise. Therefore, it will be my top priority to make sure we’re not simply listening to concerns from constituents, business owners, and developers, but following up with them and responding in a proactive manner.
Christine DeLisle* Occupation: Marketer
Relevant experience: Mayor 2021-present; council member 2018-2021; chair, City Charter Review 2017; CAMPO 2021-present www.mayorchristine.com
Fred Summers Occupation: Generator technician Relevant experience: People, places and things; 45 years in business; seven years in community service; pace car provider www.fixyourgenerator.com
John David Cowman Occupation: Real estate broker/ developer Relevant experience: Mayor, city of Leander 2003-2012 www.johncowman.com
Andy Hogue Occupation: Political communications Relevant experience: Strong background in political analysis, journalism, constituent relations for city of Austin, civic/church leadership www.tinyurl.com/andy4leander
Candidates on Pages 17-20 were asked to keep responses under 75 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity. For more election coverage, go to www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.
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LEANDER - LIBERTY HILL EDITION
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