This Saturday local voters will head to the polls for the annual municipal elections and will have the choice to either shake up the look of the Tomball City Council, or retain those who have served the city for past three years.

Last week, the Tribune profiled mayoral candidates Judy Wilson and Gretchen Fagan as early voting kicked off. This week, Council Position 3 candidates Rick Brown and Bill Webb discuss what they would like to accomplish should they be elected.

Webb, the incumbent, is seeking his second consecutive term on council while Brown is running for political office for the first time.

Webb, who works in retail management, said that he chose to run to be a voice of “conservative values.”

 “I think we have a strong council and we have, at times, healthy debates on issues,” he said. “Each one of us base our decisions on what we think is best for Tomball. Therefore, I am seeking re-election to continue to be the voice and vote of all citizens, and to continue to represent the conservative values of our citizens.”

Brown, pastor of ChristBridge church, said he became interested in the functions of city government after Hurricane Ike, during which his church was established as a Red Cross Shelter.

“We were able to experience firsthand the effectiveness of being a ‘bridge’ between the churches and the City government,” Brown said. “After working with many people in Tomball now for 11 years through my role in the church, running for City Council became an idea of another way to serve the people in Tomball.  And, being connected to one of the pillars of our community, the faith community, it is a way for our city to hear another voice.”

If elected, Brown said he hopes to continue to lead Tomball through the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance that was established two years ago.

“The Council needs to proactively promote community unity,” Brown added. “I would work to bring the pillars of the community together, such as the faith, government, economic and medical entities, to work for the best of Tomball.”

He also said he would strive to be a “fiscal conservative” and would work to continue to bring in business to build a sales tax base in order to keep property taxes low.

Meanwhile, Webb believes much more work needs to be done in Tomball.

“One is to make sure the downtown area gets some long overdue attention,” he said. “It has been sadly neglected. By reinvesting in our downtown, we will bring additional revenues to the city and also make it an attractive place, for not only visitors, but also residents to shop.”

When asked what separates him from his opponent, Webb claimed Brown’s “brand of leadership is based on guiding his flock to follow his lead.”

“As a councilman your lead is from a different perspective. My approach to leadership on all council matters is from a business perspective and as a public servant working for the people.”

Brown said that his background and experience is what makes him a unique candidate. After graduating from college, Brown said he began working in various churches where he gained “a variety of leadership skills.”

“Although the acquisition of these skills and experiences has equipped me for leadership, I am not a ‘politician,’” he said. “Decisions and votes I make will be made for the good of the majority rather than any future political ambitions.”

Whoever comes out on top will serve on the council for the next three years, a span which all four of this year’s candidates have stated could be crucial in Tomball’s development.

Brown pointed first to economic concerns and the need to increase revenue in the city. He said regaining “faith in the economy” is an important factor and that city leaders “begin making decisions based out of aprinciple-centeredness rather than fear.” 

“Economists are telling us that the future for our area looks bright and that now is the time to plan for growth,” he said. “In that planning we need to focus strongly on increasing our sales tax base and bringing in new homes so we can increase our revenue while providing basic needs without raising taxes.”

Webb believes the major issues facing Tomball in the next few years are “mobility, transportation and bringing controlled growth to Tomball to build revenues.”

“We need to bring in businesses that will be eco-friendly, attract major industry and create jobs for our citizens,” he said.

As the northwest Harris County continues to be one of the fastest growing areas in the Houston area, opinions often differ on how to implement some of the changes that Tomball is expected to see.

Webb said that he expects to see changes done “without a tax increase.”

“Control spending and balance the budget,” he said. “We need to channel funds to projects that will benefit the city rather than spend, spend, spend on fluff projects.”

Brown plans to look to the business community to help spur economic growth and that many of the plans the city has in place “do not need to be changed.”

“The city needs to continue to encourage the EDC (Tomball Economic Development Corporation), the Chamber and the City to work together to create a strategy for encouraging new businesses to locate in Tomball,” Brown said. “We need to develop strategies for marketing areas like Medical Complex Drive and Four Corners so that we can recruit more medical related businesses and retail businesses to our area. We should also focus on creating land that is utility ready for new businesses.”

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