Profile for Lowell Walker

Candidate Profile Questions for Lowell Walker from the Bowie County Citizens Tribune

1. What qualifies you to sit on the DeKalb City Council?

· Lifetime of learning

· Working as an entrepreneur, businessman, and financial services

2. What goals to you hope to achieve if elected?

· The next several years, bond payments will rise every year. The goal is to develop a plan to address the increasing debt service. This is critical to keep the city financially viable.

3. What do you see as the major needs in the city?

· Responsible funding to address the aging city infrastructure and increasing debt service payments

· Continuing to address abandoned properties and make room for new homes and business development

4. If you could initiate one change in DeKalb, what would it be?

· Ensuring long-range planning that allows for enough financial reserves to address opportunities or unanticipated problems that occur. For example, the recent tornado damage to our water treatment facility.

5. What do you think about the impending water rate increases.

If De Kalb has a significant cost increase for water it will negatively impact the citizens of our city, where 16% of our citizens live below the poverty level. The current water rate increase request will obligate the city to $1,308,500 over the next 8 years with no increase in water supply [based on 77 million gallons/year purchased from the Texarkana Water Utility. De Kalb sits on the Nacatoches Aquifer. Three wells to service the city could provide an alternative water supply. A test well has been authorized by the City Council to explore this option.

6. What are your views on transparency in government, and how could DeKalb improve in this area?

Transparency is very important. The citizens deserve to have a clear understanding of their city government. Simple actions, like posting the Council Meeting minutes on the City’s website allows the citizens to monitor actions of their local government. The City Council Meeting minutes were formerly posted on the City’s website (last posted July 2017). Reinitiating this simple practice will increase the transparency of our city government.

7. Biographical info. Family, schools attended, career.

· Married to Melissa, two children. Son Josh is an Air Force Tech Sergeant in the medical corp. Daughter Laura is married and living in Virginia.

· Grew up in Longview

· Post high school courses at Mountain View College in Dallas and Hondros College in Cincinnati

· Worked internationally in the oil industry. Studied drilling technology through the University of Texas at Austin.

· Mortgage Broker

· Texas State Attorney General Enforcement Officer

· Technology business owner with Melissa – Graematter, Inc. a regulatory intelligence firm specializing in medical product regulations