Fort Worth Star-Telegram

February 12, 1999

Edition: NORTHEAST AM

Section: METRO

Page: 1

Column: Northeast Beat

 

Flower Mound mayor perseveres in lion's den

Author: Dave Lieber; Star-Telegram Writer

Article Text:

 

"I'm in my armor," Flower Mound Mayor Lori DeLuca told her husband, Bob, yesterday morning as they stood in the front hallway for a goodbye kiss.

 

The mayor was the scheduled speaker at a Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas luncheon. This is the same mayor whose town last month declared a nine-month moratorium on home building. The mayor who would walk into the lion's den.

 

"They hate my guts," she said as she drove to the luncheon.

 

She parked at the Double Tree Ranch in Highland Village and sat in her van watching the home builders enter.

 

"This audience is going to hate my guts when I walk in and hate my guts when I walk out," she said with resignation.

 

DeLuca's life for the past three years had pointed toward this moment. She burst on the scene when she formed Voters United To Preserve FlowerMound. She became a political boss of sorts when her group supported candidates who won Town Council seats. Last year, she won the mayor's job on a platform of fighting uncontrolled growth.

 

So no one was surprised when Flower Mound officials, citing water, transportation and sewage needs, told home builders last month that they needed to take time off until September. Approved housing projects could go forward, but for the next nine months, Flower Mound would not accept any new residential applications until it reconsiders its master plan.

 

Observers believe that the new master plan will cut back the town's build-out population projections from 92,000 residents to much less. That means fewer houses for builders to build and less money for them to earn.

 

Or as the mother of three sitting in her van put it: "We're saying, `You're going to have to eat some vegetables, too. ' " DeLuca took a deep breath and walked inside, where she met Double Tree owner Duncan DuVall.

 

He told her, "You know what Teddy Roosevelt said, `Walk softly and carry a big stick. ' Don't worry. They won't sting you."

 

But they did.

 

DeLuca was there a matter of minutes when a mysterious unsigned flier began appearing on every table. Somebody in that room wasn't going to eat his vegetables quietly.

 

The flier claimed that DeLuca's concerns about growth amounted to a "sky is falling" rant.

 

"Mismanagement and deception at Town Hall are the only real problems," it said.

"The mayor is a convincing, conniving and dangerous politician. It will not be easy to overcome her deceptive propaganda (much of which will be financed with town dollars). We must support conservative candidates with our time, passion and money before this plague takes hold and destroys our town."

 

After the builders ate a Mexican lunch (without vegetables), an association official took the microphone and apologized to DeLuca for the anonymous flier. She walked to the podium. She appeared unruffled.

 

"I'm sorry," she began. "That's all we have time for."

 

If they won't eat their vegetables, at least make them laugh.

 

"For those of you who read the flier," she said, "I'm the convincing, conniving and dangerous politician. They said it like it was a bad thing."

 

After the second wave of laughter stopped, she said: "Y'all have been building homes too fast, and we're having a problem keeping up.

 

... We just need to slow it down so the infrastructure catches up."

 

Then she tamed the lions in an unexpected way. She promised a 25-minute slide presentation by Town Manager Van James. But the slide show took almost twice as long.

 

"Sorry it ran a little long," he said.

 

During the question-and-answer session, the slide show-weary builders asked about dry (or wet) subjects such as average daily flow, which is polite talk for what gets flushed.

 

One builder talked about "bad publicity" that will keep home buyers from looking in Flower Mound and commercial developers from opening up stores.

 

"We think Flower Mound is pro-economic growth," James responded, probably knowing that he wasn't convincing anyone.

 

It was getting late, and association leaders halted the show before any heated exchanges. Apparently, they wanted to make friends, not enemies.

 

"We'd like to be invited in by the city," association President Jerry Carter said later.

 

Another association leader, Jake Massey, walked up, mentioned the flier and said to the mayor: "I apologize for the goof-up again. I got blindsided."

 

"That's OK," DeLuca said. "I was basically expecting it."

 

"Then I really feel bad," Carter said.

 

The builders don't want to make town leaders angry. They don't want to lose opportunities to come back and make money.

 

Driving home, DeLuca pointed out her town's natural beauty from the van window.

 

"It's such a wonderful place," she said. "It doesn't have to turn into something we don't want. I've lived in other towns that have completely blown it. I don't want that to happen to Flower Mound."

 

Builders can forget eating steak for now. At least until September, it's time to eat broccoli.

 

Dave Lieber's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

(817) 685-3830 www.star-telegram.com/dave

Copyright 1999 Star-Telegram, Inc.