PEOPLE
BY BEN THOMPSON
OAK RIDGE NORTHMAYORS Paul Bond was sworn in as the 10th mayor of Oak Ridge North in June. Bond is the ninth person to hold the position through the 40 years since the city’s founding.
Paul Bond Oak Ridge North mayor
G.W. “Bud” Roesler
1975
APRIL 1979-APRIL 1982
FrederickM. Wagner
APRIL 1982-APRIL 1986
1980
P aul Bond, a longtime Oak Ridge North resident and a former City Council member, was sworn in as the city’s th mayor this June. Bond’s appoint- ment to the role came alongside the retirement of Jim Kuykendall, one of the city’s longest-tenured mayors. He served in the position for eight years. Bond, originally from Riviera, Texas, rst moved to the Oak Ridge North area with his family in the early s. Aer graduating from Conroe High School in , Bond said the character of the city and the ongoing growth of south Montgomery County have kept him and several of his relatives invested in the area for more than years. “We grew up out here, and we’ve never really le other than for school,” he said. “We liked the fact that it is a hometown feeling. It never felt like just a subdivision to us. … It’s where our roots are.” Bond, a full-time accountant, became involved in city politics in the early s. While he said he had always tried to keep up with civic issues during his time as a private resident, he nally had the time to commit to ocial city work once his children grew up and began leaving home. “THE OLDER YOU GET, THE MORE YOU REALIZE YOU REALLY NEED TO BE INVOLVED. I JUST THOUGHT, ‘YOU KNOWWHAT, MAYBE I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.’” —PAUL BOND, OAK RIDGE NORTHMAYOR “The older you get, the more you realize you really need to be involved,” he said. “I just thought, ‘You know what, maybe I can make a dierence.’ And that’s really what motivated me to get on board.” THE ROAD AHEAD Bond was tapped to serve on the Oak Ridge North Planning and Zoning Commission in and moved to the Economic Development Corporation in . He was appointed to City Council in
John B. Planchard
APRIL 1986-MAY 1988
1985
Gary A. Louie
MAY 1988-MAY 1996
1990
Gary S. North
MAY 1996-MAY 1998
1995
JoeMichaels
MAY 1998-MAY 2004
2000
Fred O’Connor
MAY 2004-JAN. 2010
2005
JoeMichaels
MAY 2010-AUG. 2011
2010
JimKuykendall
SEPT. 2011-JUNE 2019
2015
Mayor Paul Bond took office in June following the retirement of former Mayor Jim Kuykendall.
Paul Bond
JUNE 2019-PRESENT
2020
SOURCE:CITYOFOAKRIDGENORTH/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
that feeling, but at the same time you’re somewhat consumed by everything around us. So we’ve got to look for opportunities,” he said. “The Woodlands has become a location—a destination—and there’s no reason why we can’t have that same kind of foot- print here, only on a smaller scale.” Bond and the city’s leadership remain focused on attracting business and development within the framework of the city’s Comprehensive Plan as well as potentially re-evaluating that document as the city changes and expands. With the redesign of portions of Robinson Road expected in the coming years, Bond said he anticipates setting the city up for the future with a more accessible and economically appealing downtown in the next ve to years. Bond’s appointment as mayor this June came around halfway through Kuykendall’s two-year term, and Bond said he plans to run for oce again when he is up for re-election next May. Once his time in Oak Ridge North government is through, Bond said he expects to remain a part of the city. “I’m not a politician; I’m a resident of the city of Oak Ridge North, and I’ll do the best I can to serve the city and its residents,” he said. “My goals are to make it easier for whoever lls my shoes when the time comes I’m planning on retiring here, so I’m planning on being in the city for a long time.”
following Council Member Tom Coale’s resignation. Bond held that position through elections in and , running unopposed both times, before his mayoral appointment this year. Council Member Alex Jones, who was rst elected in , said he expects Bond to focus on scal responsibility. “[Paul] is exactly the kind of person that the city needs as mayor,” Jones said. “He really does pro- vide good leadership, he’s a strong voice and he’s no-nonsense. He’s not looking to spend any more money than we need to spend, but he wants to take care of the things that need taking care of.” Bond said he hopes to continue the city’s work on scal transparency and responsibility, economic growth and public works projects, including the improvement of Robinson Road. “Really, I’m just kind of picking up where the pieces were le,” Bond said. “We’ll continue with mobility, we’ll continue to do our best to maintain our infrastructure, and we’ll continue to try to develop businesses around here and look at oppor- tunities east for growth.” Bond also said he views Oak Ridge North’s proximity to The Woodlands as a positive force for enhancing its own economic pro le despite the dif- ference in size between the two governing bodies. “It really is a hometown. You don’t want to lose
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The Woodlands edition • August 2019
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