Southern Denton County residents will head to the polls starting next month to decide a plethora of municipal and school board contests.
The Cross Timbers Gazette asked each candidate in a contested local race to answer a brief questionnaire to help voters make an informed decision at the polls this May.
In Highland Village, there is only one contested race. Place 3 Councilman Mike Lombardo did not seek reelection, and voters will choose either Kevin Cox or Cindy Richter to replace him. In Place 5, Incumbent Tom Heslep initially filed for reelection but then withdrew his candidacy, leaving Rhonda Hurst as the only candidate for that seat, and in Place 7, no one challenged Incumbent Brian Fiorenza’s reelection bid.
Election Day is May 6, and early voting will run April 24 through May 2. The last day to register to vote is April 6, and the last day to apply for ballot by mail is April 25. Click here for more information about voting in Denton County.
The candidates for Place 3 on Highland Village City Council are listed in alphabetic order below.
Place 3 (2-year-term)
Kevin Cox, 36
How long have you resided in the city you wish to represent? 5 years
Occupation: Project Manager
Education: B.S. University Of Mary Hardin Baylor
Previous public service: Highland Village Parks and Recreation Board
What motivated you to run for this position, and why are you the best choice? I want to serve and represent the people of this city. I want the generation of young families in Highland Village to have a voice on council which understands the history of the city, honors the principles and values residents of longer tenure have come to expect, and pledges to continue to make this city the best in the State. I believe my generation needs to get involved with this city that we all love. I am an experienced Project Manager with a portfolio of over 50 million dollars’ worth of projects annually. I manage budgets and maintain our operating margins regularly. I will work with the city staff and current council to find better and new ways to manage our budget while maintaining our city staff and services. This is a team that I am excited to be a part of and I hope that if you’re 18 or 98 that you will come out and vote for me. Let’s work together to keep Highland Village
Mission statement: Keeping our children and residents safe will always be my top priority. Followed by the retention and training of our city staff who are some of the best there is. I have also looked at our budget and 5 years from now I believe things might start to get a little tight unless we take action to utilize new ideas and find ways to evolve our revenue.
Cindy Richter, 56
How long have you resided in the city you wish to represent? 20 years
Occupation: Interior decorator, home stager, decorating blogger, Highland Village business owner
Education: Tarrant County Junior College
University of Texas at Arlington
Previous public service: HOA BOD for Castlewood
Various volunteer opportunities with our local schools, CCA, Journey to Dream and The Village Church
Planning and Zoning Commission for Highland Village
What motivated you to run for this position, and why are you the best choice? I am concerned about the economic future of our city. With only 3% left of undeveloped land we need to be purposeful with new development. It needs to be consistent with our values and what the residents have asked for. I believe we also need to preserve our current retail, add more retail/restaurants, and entertainment venues in order to raise our sales tax revenue. Increasing our sales tax revenue helps us avoid raising property taxes or cutting city services to sustain our way of life here.
I am the best choice because I am a long-time resident, highly involved in our community, and if elected, I am committed to creating an Economic Development Board consisting of local residents and business owners to seek and attract unique retail businesses to provide destination shopping experiences to attract surrounding city customers.
Mission statement: I want to ensure every resident has a voice concerning all new development. I also want to create an Economic Development Board to direct what our community has requested. By doing so we’ll add more retail and restaurant options which will increase sales tax earnings thus removing the burden of city revenue from residents’ property tax assessments.
Facebook page: Cindy Richter for Highland Village City Council Place 3
