Chris Drew, a Flower Mound resident who recently got involved in local politics to oppose apartments and other large developments, has been elected to the Flower Mound Town Council.
Drew, 34, received about 69% of the vote in Saturday’s election, according to unofficial results from the Denton County Elections Office. Drew defeated Brad Ruthrauff after running on a platform all about low density and lower taxes.
“I met with over 500 residents while door-knocking, and it was hard to find people who didn’t support my views and perspective,” he said in a phone interview Saturday night. “Lower taxes is important and that’s my promise. We should approve developments that are low-density, and most people in Flower Mound agree with that.”
Drew said his stance, and track record, on the housing density issue was one of the biggest differences between him and his opponent.
“We don’t need apartments,” he said. “We have enough to meet demand, and they don’t improve the quality of life for current residents. We need to focus on approving residential developments that match the Master Plan, and that’s single-family homes.”
Drew said he first got involved in town issues a couple years ago when developers were talking about proposing a huge industrial park in Canyon Falls, next to Argyle High School. A large coalition of residents organized to oppose the proposed development. The Flower Mound Town Council denied the proposed warehouses in April 2022.
“I was a leader in that opposition, to make sure that got shut down, because it was near a school and single-family homes,” Drew said. “Then I got involved proposals for warehouses on FM 407 and apartments throughout the town, making sure they get denied because of the impacts on traffic and tax revenue. It didn’t make sense for our community to approve those developments.”
After getting involved in opposing those developments, last year, Drew began serving on three town boards: the Planning & Zoning Commission, SMARTGrowth Commission and Capital Improvements Advisory Committee. He said that one thing even more important than his low-density agenda is his willingness to hear people out, whether they agree with him or not.
“I intend to keep my promises,” he said. “If you didn’t vote for me, I want to listen to you and understand your perspective. My No. 1 promise is to listen to residents.”
Drew, a graduate of Marcus High School, bought his first home in Flower Mound in 2016. He’s a registered professional engineer and has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. He will replace the term-limited Sandeep Sharma in the Place 2 seat on Town Council.
“I will look at things analytically and work to understand the macro and micro impacts of Council,” he said. “I’m excited to serve, and I hope to make voters who voted for me and those who voted against me proud.”
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