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CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Candidates Cara Bonin and Paula Taylor vowed Thursday to make flood mitigation their top priority if elected to the Katy City Council in the Jan. 31 special election.
Bonin, a contractor, and Taylor, a Katy High School teacher, are vying to succeed incumbent Ward A Council Member Dan Smith, who is resigning his council position to seek the Republican nomination for Waller County Pct. 4 commissioner. Smith's resignation takes effect when either Bonin or Taylor is sworn into office, the term for which expires in 2027.
Bonin and Taylor spoke at a candidate forum hosted by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce at Midway BBQ, 6025 Highway 90. About 40 people attended the forum, including Smith, Ward A Council Member Janet Corte and Council Member-at-Large and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris.
Mitigating and preventing floodwaters
"We do have some newer communities, but I am part of the older communities where we have experienced flooding," Bonin said. "The May Day flood, the Tax Day flood, every single tropical storm and hurricane, has affected our neighborhood, and it continues to. Some people don't know what it's like to hear thunder, and get a pit in your stomach because you don't know if you're going to be grabbing things and throwing them on countertops and shoveling out leaves and water and dead rats from your garage because it's really part of our life in my community and it still hasn't been addressed."
Taylor said flood prevention, beyond mitigation, was an issue. She said she wanted to see preventing floodwater from reaching neighborhoods in the first place. Continuing the city's drainage projects now in the works is important, she said.
"I also think that there's, in the older part of the city, particularly West Katy, there's a lot of dirt, and a lot of, not just cracks, but huge cracks, a lot of infrastructure that needs to be updated and improved," Taylor said.
Visualizing successful outcomes
Asked by moderator Matthew Ferraro, the chamber's president and CEO, to describe a measurable outcome of a successful term in office, Taylor said she wanted to see improvements in crossing Highway 90 as it becomes busier near Cane Island. She also said she hoped to be a friend of the city's parks department.
"I very much enjoy working with Kevin Browne (parks director) as a member of Keep Katy Beautiful," Taylor said. "He has just been so good for the city and so good for our parks and has such great ideas. I would like to see an expansion of the special celebrations and the events in the downtown square. I think the city's done a great job of utilizing that space, but I think we could do even more to utilize that space."
Bonin said she wanted Ward A residents to have peace of mind.
"I want them to be at peace and have peace of mind so that they don't feel anxious when we have a thunderstorm and they may be flooding, or when they have to get up early and get to Houston for a special meeting and they know that traffic's going to be horrible," Bonin said.
Special election voting times and dates
Early voting for the special election will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 20-24, and from Jan. 26-27, at the Katy Civic Center, 910 Avenue C. Regular voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 31, also at the center.