John Harper
Phone: 214-284-6972
Current roles
Former roles
Campaign contributions
| Donor | Date | Amount | In-Kind details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment Association of Greater Dallas PAC | April 27, 2007 | $500.00 | |
| Neighl Groh | April 14, 2007 | $100.00 | |
| Total: $600.00 | |||
Pegasus News campaign survey (April 1, 2007)
What is the one greatest thing that the Rowlett City Council has achieved in the past year?
In 2006 the majority bloc of the Rowlett City Council attempted to increase the city property tax rate even though more than 100 citizens turned out at City Council sessions to protest the proposal. Finally, the will of the Rowlett citizens prevailed and there was not a city tax rate increase voted by the Rowlett City Council. The arrogance and indifference of the majority bloc of the Rowlett City Council has united the Rowlett citizens like never before to rally for change.
What is the single biggest improvement that the Rowlett City Council needs?
The majority bloc of the Rowlett City Council has adopted a firm policy of borrowing funds in advance of needs. No consideration is given to the time to assess and design and plan major capital improvement projects. As a result, tens of millions of dollars are borrowed and then deposited in a bank account for 2-3 years. Rowlett citizens pay taxes on the new debt without anything to show for it! Rowlett citizens also pay taxes for the difference between investment earnings and interest expense. The majority bloc of the Rowlett City Council needs to abandon the policy of borrowing far in advance of need. The City Council needs to adopt a funding policy which borrows funds as needed and minimize the idle cash in bank accounts.
What is the toughest problem that you have ever solved?
I was the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer of Texas Wesleyan College 1884-1986. The College (now Texas Wesleyan University) was in dire financial straits. The interim president of the College (Dr. Jerry Bawcom – now President at Mary Hardin-Baylor) and I worked together with faculty and staff and shared all of the information we had and sought genuine collaboration and teamwork to resolve the financial crisis. The faculty and staff and students of Texas Wesleyan College, along with Fort Worth philanthropists and alumni, came together and identified the needed steps to save the College. Although painful, the difficult decisions were made and the College remained solvent. Today, Texas Wesleyan University is a thriving institution with a new Law School added. I take great pride and some credit for leading the College during that very difficult period.
If you are elected and can only achieve ONE quantifiable thing in your term, what would you want it to be?
My legacy for the City of Rowlett will be a change in culture from a tax and spend city to a city that lives within its means. The quantifiable measure will be that Rowlett will no longer have the highest city property tax rate and the highest water/sewage/refuse rates of all comparably sized cities in North Central Texas! I will not support any more tax increases during my term of office. My goal is to reduce the city property tax rate during my term of office. Likewise, I will not support any more increase to the water/sewage rate during my term of office. This will be a major challenge, on a par with the challenge at Texas Wesleyan College, because so much of the budget is dedicated to paying off the extraordinary debt that Rowlett has taken on.
