Regarding the failure of the 2015 Montgomery County Road Bond

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The failure of the 2015 Montgomery County Road Bond serves as a deafening reminder to all elected officials to listen to the voice of the voters. The bond failed in 15 of the 32 consolidated precincts and over 57% of the votes cast countywide were against the bond. The fury in The Woodlands area drove a record turnout, with more than 8 out of 10 voting against it. The hubris inclusion of the Woodlands Parkway extension doomed the bond from the start.

Now the Commissioners Court must make a decision; do we learn from the failure and proceed immediately with a bond the community can support, or do we procrastinate and do nothing? To me, the answer is obvious, we move forward with a bond this November. To do so, we must do the following: 1) Remove the Woodlands Parkway Extension; 2) Prioritize projects based on need; and 3) Establish a separate fund to address maintenance projects. If the court is willing to make these wise changes, I believe the voters will enthusiastically support the bond. Recent educational bonds have been approved by the voters when the use of the funds were adequately justified and understood.

Now is the time for our county to come together and forge an alliance to work collectively with the community to solve some of our most pressing mobility issues. By working together, we can improve our quality of life and help strengthen our great county.