Nicole Romero-Piche will face off against and for the Kyle mayoral seat. The Hays Free Press asked Kyle City Council candidates the following questions. Answers are printed below.
1.What is the biggest issue the city faces and how do you plan to address it?
The people don’t trust the city, and we’re going to have to work to regain that trust. Residents call for greater transparency, while there are those that display our transparency awards and hope the issue dissipates, but it doesn’t. I’m going to call it a lack of effective communication. I’m going to work with our residents and city staff to identify ways to get information in the hands of residents in a more timely and effective manner, and make sure we put it to the level at which our residents can greater understand the issues that affect them.
2. What do you bring to the table that your opponents don’t?
First off, I have nothing that I can ever financially gain from this venture, no conflicts of interest, and have not accepted any money from any developers or someone hoping to gain my attention, or influence my decisions. I own a home here in Kyle, but no business interests, partnerships or other financial entanglements. I will work for THE PEOPLE. As a teacher, I am a professional question asker, and I will make sure that anyone wishing to spend tax-payer funds for anything has all the answers to those questions before I support any initiative.
3. Do you think Kyle is a fiscally responsible city?
The fiscal conservative in me has been more than a little concerned with how taxpayer funds are being used on private property. We have debt, and as more debtors seem to come forward all the time, it would only seem to be a fair assumption to say that we can do better than we’ve done. I want to find ways to ensure that money is being spent more prudently, and with bigger returns on investment than we currently have. The people are concerned, and I don’t blame them, so let’s find the leaks and fix them.
4. What are your thoughts on the current state of Kyle roads?
Growing pains is a real problem for a city growing at the rate it has been, and our roads are only one witness to this fact. We have roads that have been approved by the road bond, and yet haven’t been addressed. We have roads that are in disrepair, and we have roads that just aren’t big enough for the traffic that they’ve been experiencing. Some roads should have been addressed before schools, developments, or businesses opened, but some of it is just our city struggling with the pace of growth. We can do better on both fronts.
5. Is Kyle managing its growth responsibility?
We’re growing, and we’ve got plans in place for how that’s supposed to look, and go, but I have to questions whether the plan is effective, and how well our governing bodies use that plan to support their decision-making. Additionally, we have created instances of ordinances that conflict with one another, and there have been allegations that some of our ordinances were changed for no other reason than to appease developers. There have also been instances where incentives and tax credits have served the developer needs more than the people. This all has to stop.
6. Does Kyle have a diverse housing market? If not, how can that be fixed?
We have some diversity, but we continue to have issues. As has been addressed in the past, apartment complexes can be a public good by providing a chance for younger, older, or transitioning families a chance to try out a neighborhood, or have a nice and safe living option, but we can do better in their placement. I would like to see more small homes, and townhomes as options so as to get more affordable first home options on the market, but we also need to have more high-end home options to encourage higher paying employment and businesses.
7. What are types of industry should Kyle focus on bringing to town?
We need industries which offer a solid middle and upper-class salary, and benefits. We need to take advantage of the industries in Austin and surrounding areas, such as technology, medicine, and those serving our state government needs. I’m not just about the quantity of jobs, but the quality of those jobs, because that’s what’s going to keep more of our people close to home, and keep more of our money local.
8. Does Kyle have a problem with its utility billing system?
We are streamlining our current systems in a new platform, and we have high hopes for better outcomes. I feel more confident after hearing about our current systems, and would welcome the opportunity to see how we can try to do better. I would prefer us to shift a few of our billing days out of the higher cost months as this tends to put some people into the higher spending brackets, but we’ll have to see the limitations of the new software. I would see us revisit our auditing systems, since some forms of audit haven’t been done for several years.
9. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Fun fact! I didn’t actually get cable television until I got to Texas in 1997, and cut the cable again a few years ago, but the only cartoons I got were Saturday morning cartoons, and I watched them all. Of the choices I got, I preferred funny over adventure or romance, enjoying “Loony Toons” the most, followed by “Garfield and Friends”, “Tiny Toons”, or “Talespin.” With cable, we got Nickelodeon, and my choices become more plentiful, though with the advent of various tools like Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV my children still get a better variety than I ever did.
