  Today, as part of our continuing coverage of 2009 Municipal elections, we interview Mayor Pro Tem David Thornhill, who is seeking re-election to his seat on the Lewisville City Council.
David Robert Thornhill, 60, is a 14 year resident who resides with his wife Maureen in Southwest Lewisville. He has 4 grown children and two grandchildren. Last year, he retired from Sprint/Nextel after a 35 year career in retail / telecommunications service. Thornhill was first elected in 2006, but has served on various city boards since 1999.
Thornhill’s campaign website is: http://www.thornhillforcouncil.com/
Councilman Thornhill lists the following as his experience in community and volunteer service:
Currently, my community service includes:
• Mayor Pro Tem 2008- Present
• Deputy Mayor Pro Tem 2007-2008
• City Council 2006-Present
• Parks and Library Development Corporation 2005-Present
• Member, Alumni Lewisville Citizens Police Academy
• Lewisville Fire Academy
My past community involvement includes the following:
• Medical Center of Lewisville, Volunteer
• Vice Chairman, City of Lewisville Planning and Zoning
• Chairman, Denton County Environmental Task Force
• Member, Lewisville Zoning Board of Adjustments,
• Member, Lewisville Park Board, Vice Chairman,
• Lewisville Blue Ribbon Bond Committee, Member
• Lewisville Visitor’s Bureau Advisory Committee
• Member, Lewisville Charter Review Committee
• Member , Lewisville Capital Improvements Committee
• Member, Lewisville Industrial Development Corporation.
Councilman Thornhill’s Platform:
I am running for City Council because I really care about our community. I consider being on Council a privilege that gives me an opportunity to serve the citizens of the city that I love.
As Mayor Pro Tem, I am privileged and honored to have represented the Citizens of Lewisville on City Council, Place 2 for the past 3 years. It certainly has been a privilege and honor to have served our City with Integrity, Experience, Passion, and Leadership to make our community a premier City in which to live, work, and play, as well as making positive changes for our quality of life.
I pledge to our citizens that I will continue to work aggressively for the will of the people, keep our taxes low, promote economic development, support public safety, quality of life initiatives, and community development interest.
Interview:
WhosPlayin: Councilman Thornhill, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. You just retired from your career with Sprint/Nextel this past year, but looking over your community and volunteer record, it seems that you stay pretty busy. What is the force that drives you to work so much in your community?
David Thornhill: There is no one driving force that drives me to work so much for my community. This is a city in which I choose to live in and raise my family. I work restlessly and have a deep commitment to ensure that all citizens have the quality of life that they expect and deserve to have in a city in which they live. It is a true blessing to help mold that quality of life and give back to my community. I grew up in a political family that helped shape my beliefs and visions to serve the people.
WhosPlayin: Do I understand correctly that your mother worked for Lyndon Johnson?
David Thornhill: Yes, She was his personal secretary and finished with Lady Bird. We actually grew up with the Johnsons, from the ranch when he was a US Senator to the White House when he was President. I had dinner last month with Lynda Bird Johnson and her husband, Charles Robb, former Governor and US Senator from Virginia when I was in Washington DC.
WhosPlayin: You earned a Masters degree in Economics at Texas A&M. Do you think that works to your advantage as you try to anticipate Lewisville’s economic challenges and opportunities?
David Thornhill: I believe the study helped prepare me for a foundation that I use today to evaluate events in our city. The approach to the Master’s degree is quiet different from that of the Bachelor’s degree. The Master’s degree emphasizes research and development of the field of study. My degree gave me an opportunity to study changes occurring in the individual sectors of the economy and as well economic decisions that affect our ever day lives in Lewisville. All cities across the nation, Lewisville included, will be experiencing those changes in the economy and adjusting to those changes. I am fortunate to have prepared for those changes in my studies, and I think Lewisville is fortunate to have the experience on Council today to guide us through these difficult times.
WhosPlayin: Speaking of the economy, there seem to be quite a few retail businesses here that have shut down. On a recent trip to Vista Ridge Mall, it seemed like an inordinate number of stores were shuttered. Do you think that locally we have seen the worst of it yet? Do we have projects locally that might benefit from federal stimulus funds?
David Thornhill: I do not have a crystal ball so I can not tell if the worst is over yet. Hopefully the economy will reverse itself. I think the jury is still out concerning any stimulus plan.
WhosPlayin: We remember in 2007 when the Council was considering an ordinance to ban garage conversions. We were impressed with the fact that you had taken the time to drive around the city looking through neighborhoods and comparing conversions with street parking situations. What is your typical approach when it comes to educating yourself on a given issue?
David Thornhill: My approach now is the same as it has always been, regardless of serving on the Council or serving on previous boards and commissions. I have always made it a point to study the issues from a cause and effect stand point, as well as out come or out put and the consequences. I try and take a holistic view of the situation and look at it from a macro view first, then proceed with a micro view addressing any issue. Unfortunately every decision can not address everyone’s issues to their satisfaction, but first and foremost is how it is going to affect the city in the short and long term. I think education of the issues and not emotions of the issues will help drive better decision making.
WhosPlayin: When you think about the long term, I wonder if you have a vision of what Lewisville will be like in 25 or 50 years? When future citizens look back on our era, what do you hope they will say about the way we handled things?
David Thornhill: I hope it will still be a place where people will want to work, live and raise their families in and feel safe.
WhosPlayin: You have a pretty detailed campaign website. What else will you be doing to get your message out to the voters?
David Thornhill: Staying active in the community as well as your typical campaign efforts and events. I have always made an effort to response to our citizen’s concerns.
WhosPlayin: What do you consider to be the most serious issues facing the City of Lewisville, and what is your approach in dealing with them?
David Thornhill: There are several areas of importance in Lewisville, all of which have equal importance.
The first would be revitalizing our aging neighborhoods in conjunction with community and economic development. Revitalization of our City is very important, both for the Old Town District and neighboring residential areas as well. I am in support of the Council creating a Neighborhood Preservation Committee of residents and stakeholders that will be responsible for examining issues such as street parking, residential occupancy limits, revitalization efforts, and stronger and more stringent code enforcement. This would give both the City and the City Council the opportunity to address major issues involving the esthetics of the City of Lewisville by creating new ordinances, thus increasing our property values. With near build out of our city’s infrastructure, we must make prudent decisions for future growth and development.
Next would be transportation. As we are all too aware of in our area of Lewisville, transportation and cost of transportation has become a concern for all of us, both as time spent in traffic congestion as well as in our pocket books. My position has been to support DCTA as a provider on public transportation in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Citizens will be looking for alternatives to high gas prices and congested roadways. As a public servant, I believe Lewisville needs to be proactive in addressing transportation challenges, as well as working harmoniously in conjunction with State and Federal agencies. Lewisville will be impacted with this expansion along the I35E corridor and we as a City and Council, within our scope, must work with the residents and commercial property owners to help and assist with this much needed expansion.
Another issue that will be facing Lewisville as with many cities across Texas is not so much the quality of water, but rather the quantity of water. We are already seeing different water conservation stages in cities that surround our city. I think the quantity of water is an unforeseeable truth that will need to be addressed. Ensuring that our residents have quality water as well as an adequate water supply is a priority that we are all faced with in the years to come.
Finally, maintaining a strong public safety system and improving our quality of life within our city is what attracts others to come to Lewisville and retains their presence. The City was extremely fortunate to have passed the 4B sales tax which expanded our library, provide two city pools, and now the near completion of our newest City Park near Railroad Street. Supporting our Fire and Police Departments initiatives’, as well as Emergency Response, and their needs will ensure we are protected and safe within our community.
WhosPlayin: Do you feel that the average Lewisville citizen is aware of these issues? What do you think matters most to them?
David Thornhill: I really can not answer what the average citizen knows or does not know concerning these issues. I believe in most cases the average citizen is educated on these issues and have their perspective on each.
WhosPlayin: Land acquisition for the expansion of I-35 E through Lewisville is expected to begin in 2010. It is expected that we will lose some businesses as well as some residences along the right-of-way. How does Lewisville city government plan for this and make the best of the situation?
David Thornhill: See above Transportation issue. Council is taking a proactive approach as discussed at our February retreat. This is a once in a life time event and I think we should look at it as a great opportunity for our city.
WhosPlayin: Over the last year, many citizens of Lewisville have been approached by gas operators to lease their minerals. While some citizens are anxious for the royalty income, others are wary of the effects of this development on our quality of life and property values. How does City Hall help to strike a balance between these goals?
David Thornhill: I can only speak for myself as one Councilman. Striking a balance is an act upon itself with any situation. What I can tell you is from my perspective, which is that I have supported in the past and will continue to support efforts in the future appropriate environmental health and public safety stewardship issues within the Lewisville city limits. This includes, but not limited to, safety, noise levels, surface setbacks, hours of operations, as well as environmental impacts. Recently the City Council voted to revise our drilling ordinance that is more restrictive and stringent for the drilling companies than the previous ordinance passed in April, 2006. To better educate myself on this issue, I have attended meetings of homeowners as well as personally inspected every inch of the new well being drilled east of the city. Actually climbing up on the rig and standing next to the drilling pipe going into the ground was an education.
As the drilling process continues to evolve, I will be there to support balanced safety and environment issues and challenges that our city faces. Situations and facts may preclude changes in today’s existing ordinance, but I can ensure my top priorities will be both Lewisville and her Citizen’s above that of the drilling companies. You have a friend on Council.
WhosPlayin: From a revenue standpoint, we’re hearing that tax revenues and royalty income from Barnett Shale wells can drop by half from year to year. How do we budget this windfall to the best benefit of the city without becoming dependent on it?
David Thornhill: Speculative revenue such as the Barnett Shale has never played a role in any of our budget processes. We will have another budget workshop this summer and would invite anyone who is interested in the process to attend.
WhosPlayin: Lewisville City Council has been criticized from time to time (including by us) for not connecting with citizens effectively. Do you think this is fair criticism? What would you do to ensure that the council gets more citizen input and participation?
David Thornhill: Not really. The city has a tremendous reputation for being there for anyone who needs help. City staff is top notch and I would say they set the standards by which others are measured. If someone needs to connect with the city, it is up to that person to do the connecting. The city is there to help where they can within their limits. If the city is not responding to a reasonable request, then I need to know.
WhosPlayin: Would you support having the city staff start up an email list that citizens could subscribe to and receive alerts when a topic of interest to them comes up on the Council or a Board’s agenda?
David Thornhill: You can still go to the City’s web page now for information on both requests. You just have to use the process. With 95,000 plus citizens, I do not think it would be feasible to individualize notification. Please feel free to log on to the city’s web page.
WhosPlayin: As the city grows older, some neighborhoods that were once vital seem to be in decline. How do we reverse this trend?
David Thornhill: Unfortunately this is a trend with many cities across the metroplex. The city is aware of this trend and looking for ways to effectively approach this trend. Funding certainly is a challenge in these times of economic recession.
WhosPlayin: What is your view of the proper role of city government, and is the Lewisville City Council getting it right? In other words, where would you do more, and what do you think the city council should avoid?
David Thornhill: The role of any government is to serve the people. I would like to think that Council is getting it right. But I understand people may have their own view points that may be different.
WhosPlayin: At a recent Council meeting, citizens voiced opposition to the re-opening of Milliken Middle School as the new Delay Middle School. As we know, Lewisville ISD makes those decisions, but these citizens seemed to be concerned about equity among schools, implying that Lewisville’s less affluent neighborhoods were being shorted. Do you think it was a fair criticism, and to what extent if any, do you think the City Council can or should affect education?
David Thornhill: The City Council has no decision making authority over the school district. This is really a question that needs to be addressed to the school district and the school board. I think the citizens had and have valid concerns concerning Delay Middle School and hope they will approach their concerns with the right decision makers.
WhosPlayin: Mr. Thornhill, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us, and thank you for your service to the city and the community.
David Thornhill: Thank you.
WhosPlayin has extended interview invitations to the other candidate, Shelley Kaehr as well as the candidates for Mayor and Council seat 4. We are unsure whether we will endorse any candidates for this municipal election, but we just may have a straw poll as the election grows closer.
Regardless, I would highly encourage our readers to check their voter registrations, and get out and make an informed vote on May 9th. Show your city’s leaders that you care by turning out in good numbers! Polling locations will be posted here.
Keywords:
- CouncilElections2009
- Lewisville |
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