Q. What made you decide to run for office?
A. My call to service came from wanting to help others and my community. Working in real estate development and construction already required me to meet with public officials and be civically engaged in the background, so it was an easy transition.
I also think it is important for younger people to become politically engaged. I grew up in the small town of Marlin, TX. About 100 years ago, Marlin was known for its mineral water. People of that time believe that mineral water was a miracle elixir. The community had a lot of wealth, but the leadership failed to be diverse and inclusive and the young people left. To avoid repeating history, I wanted to make sure I got involved before my proverbial well ran dry.
Q. How long have you been in office?
A. I just finished my first year in elected office. I was elected to Conroe City Council – Place 5 in May 2018. This is my first public office, but I have served on multiple boards, work with my church in many areas and I also run a non-profit organization called Faith Fest.
Q. Why did you specifically choose to run for Conroe City Council?
A. Conroe is growing fast and I predict that 30 years from now Conroe will be part of a metro complex. This area has a great infrastructure, a thriving economy and is buffered by the Sam Houston National Forest. Additionally, I see amazing growth potential in this area due to recent annexations and the size of Conroe’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (which is approximately the size of Austin).
Q. Do you think more REALTORS® should run for office?
A. Yes – REALTORS® have historically been the “go to” person in the community and act as a community liaison to the consumer. Being plugged into the community, combined with the added bonus of real estate being a profession that allows for some flexibility, creates a perfect environment for REALTORS® to be successful in politics.
Q. What is something you wish you had known before becoming an elected official?
A. Playing politics. I never considered myself a politician and I was not ready for some of the games that are played. While on council, I’ve learned to live by the motto that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. I’ve learned how to build a consensus, make friends with people with opposite viewpoints, and maintain trust in each relationship.
Q. What is your biggest accomplishment on city council at this point in your tenure?
A. One of my platform issues was to bring more high-income jobs to the region. We reached out to St. Thomas University, a private university in Houston, and they will be opening a Conroe campus in 2020. The goal is to get more of our local talent to stay home.
On the real estate side, we reduced our minimum lot size requirements so we can have higher density and tweaked our tree ordinance to work better with real estate development.
Q. What is something interesting you would like for our readers to know?
A. Before I broke into real estate, I was a professional bull rider! Bull riding took me from living in a small town to traveling the country and meeting people I am still friends with to this day. If you want to fact check, you can still find my stats on the Professional Bull Riders website.
