Thursday, March 28, 2024

Hayden: What to Expect

For past three years it has been my pleasure to serve on Flower Mound’s Town Council, and after much consideration, I will be on the ballot as the Mayoral Candidate for Flower Mound on May 12.

As you cast your ballot, this is what you should expect during my term:

• As Mayor, it will be my objective to bring our Council together, to collaborate, and to encourage an unfettered exchange of ideas.  No single individual has a monopoly on ideas, and all that put in as many hours as we do have the ambition to see that our town succeeds.  While it will be my responsibility to encourage teamwork, it takes mutual cooperation.  Please carefully consider as we elect citizens to council, those whom are willing to be objective and productive members of an assembly. It will be a new day when we have less drama at Town Hall.

• A forward vision for Flower Mound.  The areas that we have designated as open spaces, we should protect, and the areas we have designated as commerce we should put our full shoulder behind.  Our town has an uneven tax base, with an over reliance on a residential property taxes.  As we come out of the current recession we have an opportunity, call it a second chance to add retail and dining options, and to keep our resources in Flower Mound.  Our town is among the lowest in per capita sales tax revenue in North Texas.  This means when you shop in Grapevine, we are helping them build their parks, maintain their roads and add other amenities for their residents that we should be doing in Flower Mound.  A recent town survey cited the reason a majority of residents don’t shop in Flower Mound is the desired item is not available.

The Lakeside DFW area is currently zoned for numerous, tall office buildings.  For decades we have been trying to recruit a major corporate campus to that area, with limited success.  We have to be open minded as to what is viable and what would allow our residents as well as visitors from outside of Flower Mound to enjoy Lake Grapevine.

The proposed Lakeside Development is something to be excited about as well as the long term success of the Riverwalk.  An idea is only half of the equation, implementation is equally important.  To bring these ideas to a successful realization it is going to take the support of the community.

• Branding our town.  Roanoke has decided that they would like to be “The Unique Dining Capital of North Texas”.  While that might be a stretch, they have a direction they are working towards.  What is Flower Mound’s identity?  With the support of Council, I would like to see our Town become the “Entrepreneurial Capital of the Metroplex”.  We have all the tools, location, amenities, housing options, now the town must devise a plan and move forward.  As previously mentioned, for decades we have tried to recruit a large Corporate Campus which hasn’t been successful, but targeting the 20 to 50 person small business, the Engineering Firm, Software Company, Law Firm, even satellite branches of large companies such as Verizon to reduce the commute should be considered.  Having these jobs in Flower Mound will help transform Flower Mound from being a Bedroom Community to Place where people come too.

• Flower Mound has been described by the Development Community as being one of the most difficult places in North Texas to do business, as having the most aggressive ordinances in the area.  Did you know if want to change your windows you are required to get a permit from the Town?  We can hang our hat on being “different”, or we can admit we operate in manner that doesn’t encourage businesses to consider Flower Mound as their first option, and go about correcting the problem.

• Oil and Gas.  Flower Mound has the right Oil and Gas Ordinance for our residents, and I’m pleased to say I was a significant voice in the construction of our current Ordinance.  As your mayor, the Council will not consider taking any steps that would reverse the progress that we’ve made.  Additionally we should look for ways to improve our Ordinance such as keeping current with Technology innovations.  As long as there is drilling in Flower Mound, drilling will be an important issue to our residents as well as to the Council.  However, it cannot be the only issue in our Town; it cannot be what we are known for outside of our Town Limits as it discourages growth.  Drilling has driven a wedge between neighbors, and as a town we’ve got to move forward into areas where we can get along and work together.

My Opponent and I do firmly agree in one area, as her signs say, we need a new direction.  I look forward to serving as your Mayor.

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