Guest column: Voters should look at gas drilling record

After the election in 2010, I received several phone calls in the days following the election, before I had even been sworn into office. These calls weren’t calls of congratulations, but rather pleas for help from residents. Was there anything I could do to stop a gas well from being approved so close to their homes?

I would soon have to tell people that the landowner had “vested rights” and that no new oil and gas ordinance could change what this landowner could now do to his neighbors.

It didn’t have to be this way. Steve Dixon had a choice to strengthen our oil and gas ordinance, as he had promised to do in the 2009 election when he spoke of increasing setbacks. Instead, he chose to amend the ordinance by adding more industrialization via centralized collection facilities on the west side of town. It was Mr. Dixon’s lack of action which ultimately would bring Mayor Northern, Councilmember Filidoro and me to elected office.

Flower Mound is a great town with a great history, but it seems Mr. Dixon wants you to forget that he had any part to play in trying to industrialize it. He spends his time criticizing the people who were brave enough stand up and do something to protect our community. Doesn’t someone running for office want to concentrate on their own strengths? Why is Mr. Dixon afraid to speak of his own record?

The fact is that Mr. Dixon has never been able to stand on the side of the people of Flower Mound. For example, it was Mr. Dixon who voted to turn the first townhome development in the Riverwalk project into just another apartment complex. The people of Flower Mound were promised a beautiful park with riverfront dining, shopping, and retail. Mr. Dixon brought us apartments on Morriss Road. Under my term, we were able to approve three medical office buildings for the River Walk, with ground floor retail, to support the hospital that was now in place. In addition, we saw the growth of other medical facilities outside of the River Walk, bringing high paying jobs to Flower Mound.

When people spoke until 2 a.m. at a council meeting about a centralized collection facility in Flower Mound, instead of siding with the people, Mr. Dixon chose to approve the new ordinance. When over 6,000 people signed a petition to overturn his decision, he chose to send it to a public vote in November. After I was elected, I did the work that Mr. Dixon chose not to do, including passing one of the most comprehensive and protective oil and gas ordinances in the state. In addition, we improved the town’s budget position, opened new roads and parks, and approved a new waste contract. To summarize, we looked out for our residents’ best interests.

Under my leadership, we have managed to address issues that have been a thorn in our community’s side for years. It is the work we will continue to do if I am re-elected to a second term. Do you want to give someone a second council term who has ignored the residents’ interests in the past? In this election, make sure to cast your vote for Steve Lyda - the Steve you can believe in - to get the job done.

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