FORNEY, Texas - Early voting for upcoming for city and school elections countywide began on Monday.
FORNEY, Texas - Early voting for upcoming for city and school elections countywide began on Monday.
inForney.com reached out to local candidates to get their take on the most important issues facing their respected races. We have combined their responses below.
Candidate responses appear exactly as they were submitted. They have not been edited by inForney.com.
Forney City Council Place 1:
James Traylor, Incumbent
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Hello Forney! I currently have the pleasure of serving our great city as Councilmember Place 1. I am a father of four children all of whom currently attend FISD. My wife and I moved to Forney in 2012 and have loved every moment of our journey. I currently am employed as the vice president of property management for Edison Equity Management Corp. My experience in Development and management brings a unique perspective to our city government. I would be honored to serve you with another term in office.
InForney.com: What personal or professional experience do you bring to the office you are running for?
Being the Vice President of a national equity firm, I understand how development works from the other side of the dais. With this perspective, I can negotiate favorably on behalf of the City of Forney.
InForney.com: What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city or district that you believe you contribute to a solution?
Traffic is hands down the most important issue facing the city at the moment. Unfortunately, there is not much a council member can do as it relates to TXDOT roads. However, we are able to identify roads within our control for expansion. I have been a staunch advocate for diverting funds to road projects and will continue to do so if elected.
InForney.com: What does transparency mean to you? How important is it?
To me, Transparency simply means to be open and honest regarding your ideas/intentions. This is vitally important to all elected officials.
InForney.com: What can voters expect of you if elected?
Voters can expect that I will fight for them at every turn. I have been a very vocal council member and will continue to do so… Our residents deserve someone in office that will do the right thing every time! I have absolutely no agenda, beyond doing what is best for ALL citizens, not just a select few.
InForney.com: How can voters learn more about you and your stance on specific issues?
I can be reached at anytime at 214-704-2062.
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Kalen Boren, Place 1 Challenger
To the citizens of Forney, my name is Kalen Boren, and I am excited to be running for City Council, Place 1. I have been a resident of Forney since 2010 and married to my wife, who is a lifelong Forney resident and graduate of Forney High School. She works for Forney ISD and I own my own business as a petroleum landman, where I work daily to identify strategies and solutions that meet client needs. We have two children, both of whom attend Forney public schools – one is a freshman, and the other is in third grade. My family worships and is actively involved at CLife Church in Forney. I also volunteer my time as a youth sports coach – working with our community’s youth developing their skills in sports such as softball, baseball, and football.
I am running for City Council not only because I am passionate about our community but because of the tremendous potential Forney has as it grows. Forney looked a lot different in 2010 when I moved here than it does today, and the Forney of tomorrow will look different than where we are right now. It’s important we have council members that set a vision for a vibrant community that places families first, supports our first responders, cooperates with our school district, and provides fiscally conservative and transparent leadership to lead us to a prosperous future. I appreciate the opportunity to run and look forward to earning your vote on May 7th.
InForney.com: What personal or professional experience do you bring to the office you are running for?
My personal and professional background fuels my passion and is what led me to want to serve the citizens of Forney. In my professional life, I have spent 15 years as a petroleum landman where I work closely with cities, counties and property owners representing clients in the oil and gas sector. This includes understanding the value of working relationships with governmental agencies like TXDOT. In my personal experience, I am one of the City of Forney’s appointees to the Board of Directors for the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), one of the largest water suppliers in the State. Using my professional background, I serve on the water and finance committees where I advocate for common-sense solutions and fiscally conservative practices.
In addition to this experience, I am heavily involved in Forney’s youth sports programs as a volunteer coach. As a father of two kids, I believe sports are an important part of building character and leadership qualities. I use Forney’s parks and sports fields regularly and see both the needs and opportunity these facilities offer to residents.
InForney.com: What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city or district that you believe you contribute to a solution?
As Forney and the surrounding areas rapidly grow, so does the issue of traffic. Living near the intersection of 548 and 1641, I have seen this issue get progressively worse during my time as a resident here. I regularly interact with TXDOT in my occupation. This has allowed me to build relationships with agency staffers and know how to work with them to accomplish what needs to be done. I believe our most immediate traffic solution in Forney would be to utilize shoulder space in areas where there is enough room to dedicate them as turn lanes and/or deceleration lanes. Beyond this, I would work closely with the City Manager, TXDOT County Engineer and the County’s transportation consultant to expedite road projects including providing seed funding when necessary, that would move projects in Forney higher up TXDOT’s priority list.
InForney.com: What does transparency mean to you? How important is it?
Transparency to me is synonymous to accountability. In my line of work, I have to be transparent with my customers because I am accountable for the results I’m expected to provide. Transparency is keeping the public informed, listening to our residents and providing the results they deserve from their city government as taxpayers. For far too long Forney operated in a manner that awarded the politically connected while brushing matters of frivolous spending and poor management decisions under the table. Significant strides have been made over the last year to address some of these egregious issues, but more remains to be done. As your next councilman I pledge to be transparent about city issues and important votes because I am accountable to you – the taxpayer.
InForney.com: What can voters expect of you if elected?
Voters for the City of Forney can expect for me to mean what I say and do everything I can to accomplish the goals I have set and to fulfil the expectations of our citizens. I would like to accomplish the following goals to wit:
- Convert unused road shoulder space where available into turn lanes and deceleration lanes to calm traffic.
- Make public safety a priority. More must be done to support and adequately fund our police and fire departments while recruiting and retaining the best talent our city can achieve.
- Invest in the upkeep and safety of youth sports and their fields
- Invest in infrastructure for our older neighborhoods in Forney that have been neglected by the city for far too long. This includes constructing sidewalks, stormwater drainage and beautification initiatives for these neighborhoods that will further spur revitalization.
- When possible, find ways to enhance the quality of life we enjoy as Forney residents. This includes adding attractions to our local parks, supporting entrepreneurs and attracting quality retail and restaurants for all of us to enjoy.
inForney.com How can voters learn more about you and your stance on specific issues?
The community can find out about my stances on my facebook page - Kalen Boren for Forney City Council, or email me at kalen.boren@gmail.com, or you can call my cell at 903-245-7773.
Forney City Council Place 3:
Robbie Powers, Incumbent
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Hello to everyone! My name is Robbie Powers, and I am seeking re-election to the Forney City Council Place 3.
I am a lifelong Forney resident with a history of five generations having lived or currently living in the City of Forney. I attended Forney High School, home of the Fighting Jackrabbits! I have one daughter who teaches 5th and 6th grade English and Language Arts.
I currently work as a healthcare professional. I have been in emergency and critical care for 28 years and have been a frontline worker during the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning.
InForney.com: What personal or professional experience do you bring to the office you are running for?
The professional experience I bring to the office of City Council Place 3 for which I am seeking re-election is, first and foremost, my experience of having already served in this position. Additionally, working in emergency healthcare, especially during the pandemic, has given me the ability to step back and take a broad look at the facts and details of a situation before making a decision.
The personal experience I bring to the office of City Council Place 3 is my deep-rooted connection that I have to this city. That long-term connection has allowed me to see first-hand the many changes that our once small community has seen and made. These changes have also brought new connections through people, businesses, and faith communities.
InForney.com: What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city or district that you believe you contribute to a solution?
As a current city council member, I have had an opportunity to develop relationships with county, state, and federal elected officials. The most important issue I believe we are facing currently is the unprecedented growth. Most of our current growth is not within the city limits of Forney. However, the byproduct of this growth is congested roadways. We must continue to work with our state elected officials and Texas Department of Transportation to improve our transportation troubles. As you know, many of our local thoroughfares are owned and maintained by the State of Texas. Using the relationships that I have built through my years of service on the City Council, I will continue to press TxDOT to expand and improve our congested roadways.
InForney.com: What does transparency mean to you? How important is it?
Transparency is very important to me. In my eyes, transparency goes hand in hand with open communication. Every meeting held by the Forney City Council is posted as required by state law, and our City Secretary and City Attorney go above and beyond to make sure we conduct city business in the methods required by the State of Texas. Additionally, I listen to citizen concerns when they speak at meetings or email me through my city email address.
InForney.com: What can voters expect of you if elected?
I will continue to work to ensure Forney is a safe place to raise a family. We have excellent police and fire departments, as well as great schools, so it’s no surprise that people want to join our community. I talk often with our City Manager Charles Daniels and also have a good relationship with our Congressional Representative Lance Gooden, our Texas State Representative Keith Bell, and our County Commissioner Skeet Phillips. When a problem or need arises, I will continue to reach out to those elected officials for support for the City of Forney.
InForney.com: How can voters learn more about you and your stance on specific issues?
All citizens of Forney are welcome to contact me via email at my city email address, RPowers@forneytx.gov, or my city cell phone number, 469-863-2915.
Thank you for reading a little bit about me. I would appreciate your support in my mission to continue to serve the citizens of Forney.
Sandi Primous, Challenger
InForney.com was unable to successfully reach Ms. Primous prior to press time.