Protecting Rockwall COunty
Protecting what is BEST about Rockwall County
For Frank, this issue is at the very heart of his decision to run for Rockwall County Judge, and is best explained under two main headings:
- CONTROLLED GROWTH. Many would say that because growth is inevitable, there is little that can be done about it. We, in Rockwall County, are suffering through a period of unchecked growth and development. Our traffic is a nuisance, and our infrastructure is not up to the task. This is what happens when the developers are in control of the pace and scale of our growth. This is what happens when our County Judge either doesn’t know how to take the reins or for whatever reason chooses not to. The response to this challenge is always the same: It’s the cities that are giving the developers the green light, not the county, so what can the county do about it? The answer is A LOT. It begins by the county refusing to allow itself to be used as leverage in the hands of developers as they negotiate with the cities for variances on density requirements. The county has density requirements in place (currently one house per 1.5 acres) but these are meaningless guidelines if developers know that variances are easily given. For example, the county just recently granted such a variance by allowing a development of 400 homes on 87 acres with no functioning sewer service. The answer to controlling growth continues with putting proven practices for mitigating the impact of new developments on the community to work at the county level such as tree mitigation, and funding open space preservation, and mandating park and trail construction. Tree mitigation sounds a little underwhelming as a solution, but it has proven incredibly effective in not only discouraging developments that would clear large swaths of land for thousands of homes (replacing thousands of trees with a certain quality and size of tree very quickly cuts into the profits making such projects less desirable to developers), and has the added bonus of making sure those developments that comply are ones that add to the beauty and uniqueness of our county rather than detracting from it. There is more that the county can do, but this is a start.
- PUBLIC SAFETY. Rockwall County is a community that supports our protectors be they police, fire, or medical. For Frank, this issue is a very personal one as well. His wife’s position as a prosecutor of violent crime means she works shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement from every corner of Rockwall County. But you don’t have to be on the inside to see that the world gets more and more dangerous every day, for our families and even for the ones we call on to protect us. Rockwall County needs a leader who is actively seeking ways to improve conditions for our first responders and listening with an open mind for solutions that improve not only the quality of their response, but their safety and quality of life as well. A perfect example of the type of county support that benefits all Rockwall County first responders is the construction of a training facility where multiple agencies can train together to improve response in scenarios involving active shooters, fire, explosives, or a combination. Many counties and cities have such a facility, but there is not one in Rockwall County. Our first responders are forced to rely on the generosity of surrounding cities for use of their facilities and consequently do not have the opportunity to hone those skills often, or to train together with other Rockwall County agencies. We must support these men and women who risk their own lives to protect ours.