Punt the NFL

Flower Mound voters need to think long and hard about their votes this year. Since we don’t have a “big issue” driving this election, Flower Mound voters might have to look a little harder for defining issues to determine how to vote.

The NFL is working hard to convince us that they deserve two more years directing this Town’s future. My question is, if they have done so well, why do they have to work so hard to convince us?? Shouldn’t their actions of the last two years qualify them for another term?

Let’s start with the issue they rode into office – gas drilling.  Flower Mound’s Oil and Gas ordinances were changed to increase well setbacks and virtually eliminate the possibility of additional drilling in Flower Mound. The changes took the NFL almost a year.

In reality, the push for new drilling was already on the decline when NFL took office. There were only few available drilling sites left under the old ordinances and the declining price of natural gas made drilling less rewarding for drillers or mineral rights owners. Even with all of this, NFL took so long to react we still ended up with a gas well and compressor at the entrance to Flower Mound on Hilliard Field. What did Flower Mound really gain??

Let’s look at a few other issues. How are decisions made? Do our officials listen to all sides of the issues and look for a compromise with best interests of the Town in mind?? The NFL believes they know more than experts in their fields and their runaway egos will negatively impact the Town for years to come:

NFL knows more than successful senior living real estate developers. The NFL harpooned the original Orchard Flower development. The original plan was a high-end senior living complex that would have provided independent living options to Flower Mound’s older citizens. This development was endorsed by Flower Mound seniors and would have maximized property and sales tax revenues for our schools and Town. NFL questioned the viability of a large complex and denied it. This development will now be built near Lantana just outside the destructive reach of NFL.

NFL knows more than Waste Management. The NFL decided Flower Mound should be the only community in the country with GREEN trash bins and BLACK recycling bins. They decided, since the black bins contain more recycled material, they should be used for recycling. This totally disregards that green is the universal color for recycling. You can thank the NFL every time items get put in the wrong bin.

NFL knows more about grocery stores than Kroger. Filidoro and Lyda know more about parking lot traffic flow and store revenue than Flower Mound and Kroger experts. They know more than fuel delivery companies about truck turning radius and delivery schedules. They arrogantly chose to ignore the voices of 1,100 Flower Mound residents that supported the Kroger Store expansion. Residents can thank the NFL for continuing to have a dated, tired Kroger store to shop in. You can thank the NFL for paying full price for a gallon of gas, instead of $0.20 to $1 off per gallon. You can thank the NFL if the Kroger store closes and we end up with an empty box store at one of our major intersections. Their denial of this $14MM Kroger expansion is a prime example of the resounding negative messages consistently sent to commercial developers all over Texas – Flower Mound is closed for business!!

NFL knows more about commerce and promoting businesses than the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce. The NFL has continuously insulted and undermined the actions for the Chamber. They have cut funding to the Chamber and hired their own consultant for “Shop Flower Mound,” a program the Chamber has efficiently run for years. They even designed the consulting contract to be less than $15,000, which is the cutoff to require Town Council approval, to avoid telling the rest of Council until after the contract had been signed.

The NFL knows more about economic development than our former Economic Development Director. NFL would not allow this sought after professional do her job and she left for a city that would.  This Director was responsible for most of the success of companies moving in to our Lakeside Business District. This debacle degraded the Town’s reputation so badly no qualified candidates could be attracted to replace the Economic Development Director. Instead, we had to promote an inexperienced person from within Town Staff. 

NFL knows more than experienced real estate developers. The NFL has thumbed their noses and worked to discredit a developer that wants to bring A BILLION DOLLAR investment for a 1st class lakeside development. That’s right A BILLION DOLLARS to turn part of our Lake Grapevine shoreline into a world-class mixed-use complex with shopping, housing, dining and a hotel.

NFL knows more than other elected officials. The NFL rudely stonewalls and ignores requests from other Council members on relevant topics.  In doing so, NFL is ignoring the rights of Flower Mound voters.  Flower Mound voters elected those officials with the intention that they would be listened to, not stonewalled.

I hope you see the pattern here! It is time for Flower Mound voters to say; “Enough of this arrogant trio!” We need leaders who care more about Flower Mound than their own egos and self-promotion. PUNT THE NFL!! Our Town’s future depends on it!

David Johnson
Flower Mound, TX