By George Slaughter
Katy Ward A City Council Member Frank Carroll said Friday he intends to seek a full term to the seat to which he was appointed last September.
Carroll said his primary goal would be to preserve and fight for Katy’s small-town values.
“It is these values that have made Katy the greatest place to live in America for over 100 years,” Carroll said.
Carroll said keeping Katy’s small-town atmosphere while facing the reality of being a part of the Greater Houston area—and the urbanization that comes with that—is something that must be vigorously defended.
“If you’re just passive about it, the growth will subsume your community,” Carroll said. With this in mind, he said, the city has focused on creating a downtown green space, surrounded by locally owned small businesses. It’s important, he said, to keep the commercial development in commercial zones in west Katy while keeping the residential areas residential.
“Protecting the residential community is very important,” Carroll said.
On a policy level, Carroll said his goals are to fully fund the city’s first responders, maintain a focus on drainage issues, and manage the city’s growth.
“I rely on what the chief of police and fire chief tell me,” Carroll said. “They submitted their requests and instead of hacking into those budgets, we followed their advice and gave them what they requested. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the matter of policing, but when you’ve had 9,650 calls in 2000 to 34,420 calls in 2017, but don’t have a staffing increase that’s measurable, you’re going to be stretched thin. We approved the largest increase in police ranks since 2000, when Katy Mills Mall went operational.”
Carroll, an attorney, previously served on the city’s board of adjustment, which deals with zoning issues for the city. He is seeking his first full term to the council. He was appointed to the council last September, succeeding former Council Member Gary Jones, who resigned the position for personal reasons. Jones was appointed to the council in June 2015 to succeed William “Bill” Lawton III, who died of cancer following his own election in May 2015. Jones was elected to a term in his own right in 2017.
Carroll is a partner and shareholder with the Houston law firm Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey. He heads the firm’s appellate law group. He earned his law degree from the University of Houston. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California-San Diego. He is also a lay minister with Katy Community Fellowship.
Carroll’s seat is one of three seats up for election in May. The Ward B seat held by Jimmy Mendez is open, as he must stand down due to term limits.
The mayor’s race features incumbent Chuck Brawner against retiring Police Chief Bill Hastings. Brawner was elected mayor in 2017 and is seeking a second term. Hastings last month announced his intentions to step down as chief on Jan. 15, and then seek the mayoralty.
The city secretary’s office said candidates may begin filing for a place on the ballot on Jan. 16. The filing deadline is Feb. 15. The election is in May.